Have you ever wanted to dance a perfect rumba in the arms of your favorite celebrity? Or teach them to tango and perform before a panel of judges? Then you have probably dreamed about joining the cast of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Besides being an ideal opportunity to light up the dance floor while grooving side by side with a famous face, ABC’s reality competition series is a great opportunity for talent with ambition. Many of the show’s dancers and choreographers begin their journey as troupe members, entertaining audiences with group numbers and serving as stand-ins if another pro becomes ill. But said sideliners often get promoted to series regulars. Take fan-favorite Britt Stewart: With roles in all three “High School Musical” films and “Teen Beach Movie,” among others, she joined the “Dancing With the Stars” company on Season 23 and advanced to pro status on Season 29, making her the first Black female pro in the show’s history.
In this guide, we’ll divulge everything we know about the audition and casting process for the hit reality series. We’ve also brought together tips and stories from cast members whose insights will help you take your dance mastery to a camera-ready level.
JUMP TO
- What is “Dancing With the Stars” about?
- Who is in the cast of “Dancing With the Stars”?
- Who is the “Dancing With the Stars” casting director?
- How does “Dancing With the Stars” cast dancers?
- Where is “Dancing With the Stars” filmed?
- Where you can find “Dancing With the Stars” casting calls and auditions
- Audition tips for “Dancing With the Stars” and other dance shows
“Dancing With the Stars” is based on the 2004 British competition series “Strictly Come Dancing,” created by Richard Hopkins, Fenia Vardanis, and Karen Smith. The U.S. version debuted on ABC on June 1, 2005, and it’s now heading into Season 35, which begins with a special two-night premiere on Sept. 15 and 16.
Professional dancers partner with celebrities of all varieties—including actors, comedians, singers, athletes, influencers, and reality TV stars. Each week, the duos execute dramatic, sizzling choreography to earn points from a panel of judges and votes from viewers at home. Then, based on the lowest combined total of points and votes, at least one pair is eliminated each week.
During the season finale, the duo with the most votes and points is declared the winner, and they get to take home the prized, and renamed, Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Goodman was an original judge when the U.S. series premiered in 2005, and he retired at the end of Season 31 in November 2022. Sadly, he passed away in April 2023. The show announced it was renaming the Mirrorball Trophy in his honor right before Season 32 premiered.
Although “Dancing With the Stars” aired exclusively on Disney+ for Season 31, it returned to ABC in 2023. Episodes air live on ABC and Disney+ and stream the next day on Hulu.
From Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews to Alfonso Ribeiro and Tyra Banks, “Dancing With the Stars” has had a variety of hosts throughout its run. Season 32 welcomed a familiar face, Julianne Hough, back to the ballroom as Ribeiro’s new co-host. Fans of the show will remember Hough as one of the youngest pro dancers ever to join the cast. She went on to win the Mirrorball Trophy twice and returned to the show multiple times as a judge.
Ribeiro, who won Season 19 with dance partner Witney Carson, and Hough also return for Season 35. Here’s a breakdown of the season’s hosts, judges, dancers, and celebrities.
The hosts and judges for Season 35 are:
- Alfonso Ribeiro (co-host)
- Julianne Hough (co-host)
- Carrie Ann Inaba (judge)
- Derek Hough (judge)
- Bruno Tonioli (judge)
Here are the professional dancers and their celebrity partners for “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35:
- Ezra Sosa and Julia Stiles
- Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan
- Jan Ravnik and Tatyana Ali
- Britt Stewart and Taylor Hanson
- Daniella Karagach and Ezra Frech
- Pasha Pashkov and Amber Glenn
- Rylee Arnold and Connor Wood
- Hailey Bills and Sarah Jane Nader
- Sharna Burgess and Tyler Cameron
- Alan Bersten and Giada De Laurentiis
- Jenna Johnso Chmerkovskiy and Harry Shum Jr.
- Adele Zaikman and Conner Leavitt
- Witney Carson and Guillermo Rodriguez
- Mark Ballas and Maura Higgins
- Brandon Armstrong and Ciara Miller
- Emma Slater and Jackson Olson
Credit: Disney/Andrew Eccles
Deena Katz is the primary casting director for “Dancing With the Stars.” During her long tenure with the show, she has worn many hats. From 2006 to 2011, Katz worked as a producer for the show. She was the senior talent producer from 2008 to 2013 and a co–executive producer from 2011 to 2019. Katz’s other credits include “Dancing With the Stars: Juniors,” “Real Time With Bill Maher,” “Celebrity Big Brother,” and “The Masked Singer,” among others.
As Katz told Slate, the show was created to fill a hole in the reality series market. Instead of the knives-out, gossipy style of celebrity shows that were prevalent at the beginning of the 21st century (think “The Surreal Life”), “Dancing With the Stars” was pitched as easygoing and accessible. “[People on the show] are never fighting with each other,” Katz noted. “They are just angry they aren’t learning their quickstep.”
Each season, Katz pairs a celebrity with a professional dancer. Although the process involves “basic ideas of height to make sure that everybody has the best chance, it’s more about the personality,” she said. “Some of the athletes like to be coached differently than maybe an actor or somebody else. So I meet every single one of them because I want every partnership to shine.”
The result is like “the best dinner party,” she said. In the end, it’s about finding “the best partnerships possible” that the audience “will fall in love [with] when [they] watch their journey.”
Unlike many talent-based competition shows, there are no onscreen auditions for “Dancing With the Stars.” The show announces its slate of guest celebrities and their dance partners prior to the premiere of each season.
The dancers selected for the show always have extensive training and experience. Most have performed since they were very young, usually at both national and international dance competitions, and they often have prior television experience. Several of the series’ dancers previously appeared on other dance-related competition shows, including “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Got Talent.” While many dancers remain with the show for an extended period of time, some of the lineup of professional dancers and choreographers changes from season to season.
The casting department mostly recruits directly, but the show sometimes holds open auditions. The process includes meeting with the producers and filming a performance. Previous experience is vital, but the eligibility criteria for prospects are minimal:
- You must be 18 years of age or older.
- You must be an American citizen or have a work permit in the U.S.
- You must pay your own travel expenses for the auditions.
- You must agree to a background check from the producers.
Derek Hough, now a judge on the show, started as a pro dancer—and won a record-breaking six times. In his audition tape from 2006, Hough told the casting team, “I’m dynamic, charismatic, [and] can bring many different styles and influences onto the dance floor. I love entertaining people.” In addition to his energetic interview, Hough demonstrated an impressive spin on his tape. He also brought in lots of experience. Before he ever auditioned, he won the World DanceSport Federation’s World Latin Championship in 2002.
Besides casting competitive dance partners for the celebrities, “Dancing With the Stars” also looks for talent for other roles. The series employs a troupe of dancers who perform non-partnered dances during the broadcast. The casting department often selects troupe members for the main competition, too.
Ezra Sosa transitioned from troupe member to pro dancer for Season 33, where he was paired with convicted faux socialite Anna Delvey. The franchise also has a live revue featuring a mix of pro and troupe dancers, plus celebrity guest stars, which tours the country every year. The show also previously produced a “Dancing With the Stars” DVD series, which resulted in several casting notices on Backstage for backup dancers.
For Season 35, however, “DWTS” opted to spice up the casting process with a spinoff series, “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.” Hosted by Season 34’s winning celebrity, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, the series focused on 12 up-and-coming dancers as they lived together and competed against one another for a chance to become the show’s newest professional dancer.
The group faced various challenges that tested their Latin and ballroom skills, while mother-son duo Shirley and Mark Ballas served as the judges with final say on who got cut and who continued. (No, fans were not permitted to text votes to 21523 for this one!) Ultimately—spoiler alert—Adele Zaikman won the coveted spot, and now she has the opportunity to win the Mirrorball trophy, too. “I just feel like this is a celebration of all the sacrifices that I’ve [made],” she said after learning of her win, according to People. “It’s just like a big ‘I made it’ moment.”
Executive producer Conrad Green told Deadline he hopes to bring “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” back for a second season. “I’d like to see it come back, because I think it’s been really helpful, just in terms of talent search, keeping up the quality, and making everyone aware that there are great people out there, and we never want to stop finding great people.”
“Dancing With the Stars” films every season at Television City, a studio in Los Angeles. Television City itself is part of TV history. CBS opened the studio in 1952, and a number of popular programs have filmed there over the years, including “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Wheel of Fortune,” and several soap operas.
With Season 35 on the cusp of airing, there are no active auditions or casting calls for new dancers.
As mentioned, most of the dancers on the show have made their mark on other dance-oriented shows, so be sure to bookmark our reality TV casting roundup for updates—and definitely check out other upcoming dance projects. An active résumé is a good way for dancers to advance their careers.
“When you’re forming a partnership through dance, you have to build trust,” wrote former pro Cheryl Burke for Dance Magazine. “With so many of my partners, I’ve become their rock. They can know the steps like the back of their hand but still feel insecure, and we have to get down to what’s really making them feel that way.”
As Ballas, “The Next Pro” judge and three-time Mirrorball trophy winner, told Dance Spirit, becoming a “DWTS” pro requires certain skills. “First and foremost, our show is predominantly a ballroom and Latin show, so you need to have an understanding of the fundamentals in those styles if you’re going to be able to teach them,” he explained. “It’s one thing to be an excellent dancer, but at the end of the day, you could have a celebrity who has absolutely no dance experience and you have to make them look good.
“One of the greatest skill sets you can have as a pro is being so knowledgeable in your craft that you’re able to pivot on a dime,” said Ballas. You need to have Plans B, C, and D ready to go. Our most accomplished pros are able to do that on the spot.”
Alexis Warr, a performer with the “Derek Hough Live!” dance tour who ultimately went on to join the “Dancing With the Stars” troupe and live tour, told Dance Dish With KB that her audition mindset “was to show [Hough] who I was as a dancer and as a human.” And after she left the audition, she says she “felt great. I also reminded myself that whatever’s meant to be will be.” She got the gig.
Warr was also the first female ballroom dancer ever to win “So You Think You Can Dance.” She shared Hough’s advice to her and the other tour performers: “Derek gave us a little talk about it, because in this industry, we are surrounded by so much judgment, so much negativity. We sometimes feel a lot of pressure in the dance world. Sometimes I question myself: Am I enough? Am I doing the right thing? And what these dances and what Derek is saying—you are enough and you always have been and you always will be.”
Becoming a professional dancer requires dedication, skill, and talent. In fact, the journey can be grueling. That’s why Brittany Cherry encourages dancers not to give up, but also not to wear out. “I think the hardest thing about being a dancer is the ability to check in with yourself both physically and mentally as much as possible,” she told VoyageLA, especially after “going to eight-hour auditions just to hear another ‘Not this time.’ ” Cherry eventually landed a gig as part of the “Dancing With the Stars” dance troupe.
Backstage expert and movement coach Erika Shannon encourages dancers to be as prepared as possible, even if things aren’t certain. She points out that “even if you don’t know what the choreography is going to be, if you’re going to a dance call, there is no reason why your body can’t be warmed up, your mind can’t be centered. So before you audition, be sure to put your phone away, get into your body, stretch, warm yourself up, and be prepared—and eat! Don’t go to an audition with no food in your stomach because you will not be able to retain choreography or direction.”
In the end, the only way to get on “Dancing With the Stars” is to be prepared for your opportunity—whenever it might arrive. “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant Evan DeBenedetto told DancePlug, “The audition process is definitely grueling and long. It’s a big waiting game. You’re constantly proving yourself and [showing] that you deserve to be on the show, which is stressful, but at the same time, hopefully it’s all worth it.”
Check out Backstage’s dance audition listings!
