Jenna Dewan responds to Dancing With the Stars fans who question her casting, explaining why ballroom dancing is a completely new challenge.
Jenna Dewan has responded to criticism from Dancing With the Stars fans who questioned whether it was fair for the actress and dancer to compete on the show because of her extensive professional dance background.
The 45-year-old Step Up star was recently announced as one of the contestants competing on Dancing With the Stars Season 35, prompting an immediate reaction from some viewers.
While Dewan is undoubtedly an experienced dancer, she has stressed that her background is very different from the ballroom styles she will be required to master on the ABC competition.
Dewan, who previously worked as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, is particularly known for hip-hop and contemporary dance.
Her professional experience has led some fans to argue that she could have an unfair advantage over contestants with little or no dance training.
However, Dewan insists that competing on Dancing With the Stars represents a genuine challenge because ballroom dancing is a discipline she has never mastered.
Jenna Dewan explains why DWTS is a new challenge
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Dewan addressed the criticism surrounding her casting and explained that her previous dance experience does not mean she already knows how to perform ballroom routines.
“I do not know how to ballroom dance,” Dewan said.
“Let’s be clear. It’s two different languages,” she added.
The actress acknowledged that some elements of her previous dance training will naturally be useful during the competition.
She has spent years learning choreography, performing in front of audiences and developing the physical skills required to dance professionally.
However, she believes ballroom requires an entirely different approach.
“There’s parts of my dance training that’s helpful, obviously. I’ve learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me,” she explained.
Dewan described ballroom as a “new technique” and emphasized that she is having to learn a completely unfamiliar style rather than simply bringing an existing routine to the Dancing With the Stars stage.
That process has already required her to make significant adjustments during rehearsals.
Step Up star says she has had to ‘unlearn’ habits
Dewan became widely recognized as a dancer and actress after starring in the Step Up franchise, where her dance abilities were a major part of her on-screen career.
Her professional background has made her casting on DWTS particularly controversial among some viewers.
Yet Dewan said that being an experienced dancer has not necessarily made the transition to ballroom easy.
“It almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of — I don’t want to say bad habits — but just habits of the style that I’m used to,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
The actress also acknowledged that her dance experience comes with both benefits and disadvantages.
“It’s not like you’re giving me a style that I’ve done — I can go out there and do that,” she said.
“It has its advantages, but it also has its challenges.”
For Dewan, that challenge is actually one of the main reasons she agreed to take part in the competition.
“But that was part of why I wanted to do it. I really wanted to challenge myself,” she explained.
Val Chmerkovskiy defends Jenna Dewan’s DWTS casting
Dewan’s professional dance partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, also addressed concerns that she has an unfair advantage because of her background.
Chmerkovskiy acknowledged that Dewan enters the competition with considerable talent, but argued that her abilities also bring greater expectations.
“She comes in with incredible talent,” he said, while pointing out that expectations for her will consequently be much higher.
The professional dancer also argued that Dancing With the Stars is about considerably more than technical ability.
“First of all, it’s naive to think that this show is just about dance,” Chmerkovskiy explained.
According to the DWTS veteran, the competition is also focused on personality, vulnerability and the contestants’ personal journeys.
“It’s about the human experience and the human journey and how much you’re willing to reveal yourself,” he said.
“Dance is a vehicle for us to find out more about these people.”
That approach could be particularly important for Dewan, who will be expected to show viewers a side of herself beyond her established identity as a professional dancer and performer.
Fans question whether Jenna Dewan has an unfair advantage
Despite Dewan’s explanation, some Dancing With the Stars viewers remain unconvinced that her participation is fair.
Several fans took to X to express their frustration after her casting was announced.
One viewer questioned why Dewan would participate when she already has such a substantial dance background, writing: “You’re a dancer, how is this even remotely fair to the other contestants? You should’ve passed on the opportunity.”
Another fan pointed to Dewan’s history as a dancer for Janet Jackson and questioned whether the competition could provide an even playing field.
“How is this even a fair chance? Technically Jenna will be the best dancer…I mean she’s danced with Janet Jackson,” the viewer wrote.
A third person went even further, declaring that they would consider the competition “RIGGED” if Dewan won Season 35 because of her professional dance experience.
The reaction highlights one of the recurring debates surrounding Dancing With the Stars: where should the line be drawn between celebrities who have dance experience and those who are complete beginners?
Jenna Dewan wants to show fans something new
Rather than avoiding the criticism, Dewan appears determined to use her DWTS appearance as an opportunity to prove that she can learn something outside her comfort zone.
Chmerkovskiy said he is developing a strategy designed to showcase aspects of Dewan’s abilities that audiences have not previously seen.
“The way I approach things is that you’re only as good as the thing that you’ve never done,” he said.
He added that he plans to push both himself and Dewan throughout the competition in order to present viewers with something different.
“I’m going to push her and push us to showcase to the world something they haven’t seen from her yet,” Chmerkovskiy said.
That could ultimately become one of the biggest storylines of Dancing With the Stars Season 35.
While Dewan enters the competition with considerably more dance experience than many contestants, she will still have to adapt to ballroom technique, work within the partnership and meet the expectations that come with being one of the show’s most recognizable dancers.
For now, Dewan is making it clear that she does not see her professional background as a guaranteed path to victory.
Instead, she views the competition as an opportunity to learn a completely different style of dance and challenge herself in a way she has not experienced before.
The question now is whether DWTS viewers will accept that explanation once the competition officially gets underway.