On February 22, Pittsburgh’s Peterson Events Center was bedazzled with ballroom blitz as the professional dancers from ABC’s hit show Dancing With The Stars took over the stage.
The show finished its 34th consecutive season last fall, crowning wildlife expert Robert Irwin and pro dancer Whitney Carson as the Mirrorball Winners. Along with 10 weeks of hardcore training and performances every Tuesday, every year, Dancing With The Stars professional dancers take the road across the United States and a few spots in Canada.
Dancing With The Stars LIVE! features a cast of 10 professional dancers: Emma Slater, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Hailey Bills, Pasha Pashkov, Jenna Johnson, Ezra Sosa, Daniella Karagach, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, and Alan Bersten. Each of these dancers was featured on the show’s most recent season, almost all of them pros, except for the newest addition: a fan favorite troupe member, Hailey Bills. Along with the core cast, celebrities who competed in the most recent season are stopping at select cities to join the dancers and show the crowd the skills they learned last fall, including Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, Danielle Fishel, Elaine Hendrix, and Pittsburgh’s special guest, Andy Richter.
Last winter, I had the chance to attend their show at The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, and since then, it has been one of my favorite live performances I’ve ever attended. That left me feeling very eager to see what this year’s show would bring. After a groundbreaking season for the show, the budget for the tour has skyrocketed, and you could tell.
The performance features two hours of breathtaking ballroom dancing and a variety of musical genres, showcasing their professional skills. There are many different styles of ballroom dancing, but the show focused on the main ones performed on the show, such as jive, rumba, Viennese waltz, tango, and contemporary. The show wouldn’t be complete without Latin-style routines like the paso doble or iconic cha-cha.
The dances on the live tour are choreographed by Mandy Moore, an Emmy-winning dance director and choreographer, and the professionals often choreograph certain dances along with her. Although being mostly choreographed by the same director, each routine brought something special to the show. From a Wicked-themed waltz to a sensual rumba, the dancers gave each step their all and brought overwhelming emotion and talent to the stage.
The performance that especially stood out to me was the group’s beautiful Viennese Waltz to a soft rendition of Taylor Swift’s hit song Opalite. Each dancer was wearing a beautiful white outfit and glided along the stage like a feather. The visuals of white lights and stars in the background added to the performance, making it an emotional and delightful sight to see.
As much as I love a waltz, I also dig a high-energy and adrenaline-pumping dance. This year, professional dancers Daniella Karagach (also known as the dancing Ferrari) and Valentin Chmerkovskiy performed a fiery samba to the song Drop It Like It’s Hot by Snoop Dogg. Both of them made sure to give this dance their all, leaving the audience, including me, speechless. Their red outfits and red lighting added to the blazing energy of the performance. Leave it to Daniella and Val to make you realize how much strength dancers have to maintain.
Along with the dancing, Dancing With The Stars is a reality TV show, so of course, crowd interaction and comedy were another huge part of the night. During the second half of the show, dancers Alan Bersten and Brandon Armstrong walked through the crowd to find a fan and bring them up on stage to be featured in a fun comedy sketch they perform. Comedian Andy Richter was a great addition to the show as well; he and his season 34 partner, Emma Slater, were the hint of comedy that made the show truly perfect.
“The show was full of different routines and had great song choices, plus I got to see Val Chmerkovskiy. Anyone who follows the show should see it at least once live,” said longtime fan Shannon Wall.
“The show was energetic and exciting. They showcased every dancer in a different routine. The Wicked dance sequence specifically stood out to me… if you love Dancing With The Stars, you should definitely go to see all of your favorite celebrities and dancers!” said Wheeling resident Kelly Tucker.
The Dancing With The Stars tour often takes a stop in Pittsburgh every winter, so I advise you to look out for next year’s tour schedule; you don’t want to miss it!
