Dancing with the Stars has once again graced the Seattle Paramount theatre with its dazzling ballroom flair. On March 19, I got to attend for the second year in a row, and it was absolutely spectacular.
For the newer readers who don’t know what Dancing with the Stars is, I covered the tour in my previous article last year. Dancing with the Stars is a popular ballroom reality TV show where professional dancers, or “the pros,” pair up with celebrities—such as actors, singers, and more—to perform ballroom dances like the Rumba, Quickstep, and Salsa. Every week features a new theme, such as Oscars or Halloween night, and one couple gets eliminated every week until only four or five couples remain. The resurgence in the show’s popularity has been evident thanks to stars from younger generations, like Ilona Maher and Chandler Kinney, who competed in the previous season last year.
This year, the Paramount was more packed than last year and definitely felt more sold out compared to the almost full house of last year’s show—it’s usually a great sign of an amazing audience for the cast of the tour.
The pros who performed (pictured below) are Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Gleb Savchenko, Rylee Arnold, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Britt Stewart, Ezra Sosa, and Emma Slater. The special guest of the night was Stephen Nedoroscik, a finalist of season 33 and the co-host of the entire tour.
There were so many amazing numbers, once again choreographed by the lovely Mandy Moore, who has worked with the Dancing with the Stars team for years. The numbers include songs like “James Bond theme” by John Berry, “Hey Ya” by Outkast, and many more. The show also included a few funny country and Oscars-themed quips sprinkled in throughout the show.
For those who couldn’t make it to the tour, I wanted to share some highlights that stood out to me as an audience member.
“Sexyback” – Sung by Justin Timberlake, this was a steamy, no-pun-intended, sexy salsa dance featuring dancers Armstrong, Bersten, Savchenko, Sosa, and Paskov, each showcasing their own unique moves. The show also included a hilarious cameo by Nedoroscik.
The Pro Academy – This segment featured every pro on the tour, teaching Sosa the ropes of being a pro, as it was his first season after spending two years as a troupe member. Sosa was following the steps given by each pro who have done multiple seasons of the show, like social media, lying to their partner, etc. The bit ended with his partner from last season delivering the iconic response of “Nothing,” referencing to the fact that his partner and him were the first couple eliminated that season.
James Bond Pros Number – Composed by John Berry, this dance featured Stewart, Savchenko, Slater, Karagach, Arnold, Pashkov, Bersten, Armstrong, and Sosa, who brought a Bond-esque story to life through an Argentine tango. With so much passion and fluidity, the dance portrayed a dance between the villain (played by Sosa) and the Bond girls, with Bond being portrayed by both the female and male performers.
Superman theme Pommel Horse – Composed by John Williams, this quip was an homage to Nedoroscik, who was compared to Clark Kent as the “Pommel Horse guy” during the 2024 Olympics. Nedoroscik brought out his pommel horse, performing his routine to the Superman Theme, with his gymnast coaches supporting him on the side.
“YA YA YA” – Sung by Beyoncé from her album Cowboy Carter, this dance was a mix between jazz and contemporary, featuring Slater, Arnold, Karagach, and Stewart. Using chairs and a table as props, they brought a sultry cowgirl flair to the entire number.
“Eye of the Tiger” – Sung by Survivor, the final highlight I want to mention is this Paso Doble performed by Armstrong and Arnold. They brought passion and energy to the number, delivering the perfect amount of electrifying factors.
Watching the pros and Nedoroscik throughout the tour since Jan. 7 was so much fun as an audience member. I can’t recommend this enough—make sure to watch the tour next time it comes to Seattle, you won’t regret it. Slater even said, “Seattle is the cast’s favorite stop of the tour.” While she said a similar thing last year, it still rings true—if you’re sitting in the audience, you too will have a blast.
Author
As Rhiannon had done journalism in the past for her high school. She hopes to continue that path through the Collegian.
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