Jenna Dewan is heading back to the dance floor, but this time she is facing a style that even her extensive dance background cannot make easy.
The Step Up star will compete on Dancing with the Stars season 35 alongside professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. While Dewan has spent decades performing and dancing, she says ballroom is an entirely different challenge.
ABC announced Dewan as part of the upcoming season’s cast on September 2. The new season will begin with a two-night premiere on September 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
Jenna Dewan Says Ballroom Dance Is a New Challenge
Dewan has more than 25 years of dance experience, so her professional background naturally makes her one of the contestants to watch.
However, she is not treating that experience as a shortcut to success.
Speaking to E! News after the Season 35 cast reveal, Dewan acknowledged that her previous performance experience can help her learn choreography and feel comfortable performing. At the same time, she stressed that ballroom requires a different set of skills.
For Dewan, that difference is part of what made the opportunity appealing.
She explained that ballroom feels like learning a new language. After years away from intensive dance training, she wanted an opportunity that would push her physically and artistically.
That makes her DWTS season 35 journey especially interesting. Rather than simply returning to something familiar, Dewan is entering a competitive dance style that demands new technique, discipline and partnership.
Val Chmerkovskiy Isn’t Taking Dewan’s Experience for Granted
Dewan’s partnership with Val Chmerkovskiy adds another layer of interest to the season.
Chmerkovskiy has worked with celebrities who already had dance experience, so he understands that professional performance skills do not automatically translate into ballroom success.
The professional dancer said the goal is to build on what Dewan already knows while helping her develop something new.
That approach could be important because ballroom dancing involves more than memorising choreography. Timing, frame, footwork, posture and connection with a partner all play major roles.
Chmerkovskiy also emphasised that the challenge applies to dancers at every level. Having previous experience does not remove the difficulty of performing ballroom at a high level.
Why Jenna Dewan Wanted to Join Dancing With the Stars
For Dewan, joining the competition appears to be about more than adding another television credit.
She described the opportunity as a major personal milestone and said she was excited to take on something she had wanted to experience.
Her enthusiasm is understandable. Dewan first became widely known for her dancing and acting in the 2006 film Step Up, and ABC’s official biography notes that the movie played an important role in introducing her to a wider audience.
Now, roughly two decades after Step Up, she is returning to competitive dance in front of a television audience.
The difference is that this time she will have to master ballroom styles rather than rely on the choreography and performance environment she already knows.
Dewan’s Family Is Looking Forward to Seeing Her Compete
Dewan also has a personal reason to be excited about the upcoming performances.
She said her family wants to see her dance, giving her another source of motivation as rehearsals get underway.
The actress is a mother of three. She shares daughter Everly with former husband Channing Tatum and has two younger children, Callum and Rhiannon, with fiancé Steve Kazee. E! News reported those family details while discussing her upcoming DWTS appearance.
With her family watching, Dewan will have plenty of familiar faces in her corner when the competition begins.
What to Expect From DWTS Season 35
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy are part of a large Season 35 lineup featuring celebrities from entertainment, sports and social media.
The cast includes Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, and Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, among others.
Several contestants also bring experience from other performance or athletic fields. That should make the competition particularly varied, with each celebrity approaching ballroom from a different starting point.
ABC has also confirmed that the show will simulcast live across ABC and Disney+ and stream the following day on Hulu.
Jenna Dewan’s DWTS Journey Is About More Than Dance Experience
Dewan’s history may give her an advantage when it comes to performance, musicality and learning choreography. Still, her own comments make clear that she does not view ballroom as an easy transition.
That could become one of the most compelling parts of her Season 35 story.
She knows how to perform. Now she has to prove she can adapt.
With Chmerkovskiy as her professional partner, Dewan will have the opportunity to turn decades of dance experience into a new ballroom skill set.
Whether that experience ultimately gives her an edge will be decided on the dance floor.
For now, though, Dewan appears ready for the challenge.