Born To Dance
Yarden Paldor, staff writer
Imagine showing up for your first dance class and finding out your opponent has years and years of experience. For some Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) contestants, this was not a hypothetical scenario, but rather their harsh reality. Season 35, the most recent season, which premiered on Sept. 15 and 16, has caused a lot of controversy because of this exact issue. Many of the celebrities cast have a previous dancing background, which is an unfair advantage for those who don’t. This raises the issue of whether casting celebrities with a preexisting dance background like Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. alongside inexperienced celebrities like Taylor Hanson and Connor Wood creates an uneven playing field.
This season of DWTS has raised a lot of questions regarding the rules of the format. Many fans pointed out that some of the celebrities that were cast for this season are already experienced dancers. In a show where the whole point is to watch famous people learn how to dance, the prior experience of some celebrities is not right. According to Vanity Fair, the unfair advantage is overwhelmingly present this season. Not only are there competitors with a professional dance background, but there are also figure skaters, a gymnast and even a former Beyoncé dancer. This season’s casting has caused a big debate about the rules of the format.
Although some fans question the casting, many others justify it by claiming that ballroom dancing and other types of dancing are very different in many ways.
“If they have previous training, they are going to subconsciously start using different techniques for muscle memory, which would make it more difficult for them to train correctly” says sophomore Ilya Mark. He dances ballroom and many other styles like jazz, tap, and ballet. While this claim is true, musicality and ability to follow rhythm is still an advantage to celebrities with a dancing background.
The rules of the format don’t specify any restrictions regarding the dance experience of the competitors, but maybe it is time to change that.
“I think all the celebrities shouldn’t have past dance experience, like [Jenna Dewan] who went to Julliard” says Kierstan Baker, a sophomore and a devout fan of DWTS.
Many fans think the show should start limiting the amount of experience so that the competition is still fair. This is a format change that would make the competition equal, but less interesting overall. Baker also claims that it is much more interesting to watch experienced celebrities dance, and that the difference is very apparent. This is probably why we haven’t seen the change in the format be adopted yet.
While fans debate this season’s casting, the stars are getting ready for their debut on DWTS and anxiously anticipating the elimination of the premier episodes. The fanbase and commentaries are waiting to criticize and watch as the stars dance for a large audience, many not for the first time. This raises the question of whether the format will adapt itself following intense criticism or remain the same. For now, we will have to wait for this season’s glamours dancing stars.
