Julia Stiles Recreates ‘Save the Last Dance’ on DWTS

Julia Stiles turned her latest Dancing With the Stars performance into a full-circle movie moment, revisiting the choreography and visual language of Save the Last Dance while her former co-star Sean Patrick Thomas joined the tribute.

Stiles and professional partner Ezra Sosa performed a hip-hop-inspired jazz routine to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny From the Block” during the show’s Super Bowl-themed episode on October 13. The number blended ballet and hip-hop references with recognizable touches from Sara Johnson’s climactic Juilliard audition in the 2001 film, including chairs used as props.

A ballroom reunion built for movie fans

Thomas, who played Derek Reynolds opposite Stiles, did more than watch from the audience. He appeared at the side of the stage during her solo section, echoing the film scene in which Derek supports Sara during the audition. The staging gave longtime fans a direct visual callback without simply replaying the original sequence.

The performance earned Stiles and Sosa a combined 33 points out of 40 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Joe Buck. Tonioli called it her strongest dance of the season, while the panel highlighted the confidence she brought to the routine.

Why the moment landed beyond the scores

Save the Last Dance became a defining early role for Stiles and paired a romantic story with dance styles that reflected the film’s cultural and generational tensions. Bringing Thomas into the ballroom made the routine feel less like a costume reference and more like a reunion between two performers closely identified with the movie.

Thomas later praised Stiles in a video shared by the official Dancing With the Stars account, saying he was happy to watch her return to material they had enjoyed making together. Stiles has also indicated that she and Thomas have not completely ruled out revisiting the characters someday. For now, the televised reunion offered a compact sequel of its own: Sara danced again, Derek was there to support her, and a new audience got the reference in real time.