What To Know
- The Season 34 Dancing With the Stars finalists will perform freestyle dances during the November 25 finale.
- The freestyle dance allows the contestants to show off their best skills, with no rules in place.
- After 20 years of DWTS, there have been so many memorable freestyle dances, and these are the most iconic of them all.
The Dancing With the Stars Season 34 finale is just days away, which means were about to get five new freestyle dances from the 2025 finalists. The finale freestyle routines are always the most-anticipated of the season, as there are no rules and the pros have free reign with their choreography.
The freestyle dance tends to determine the winner of the season, as it’s one of the last things viewers are left to sit with before casting their votes. Contestants’ freestyles tend to be so different, with all forms of dance and tricks on the table.
While the routines have evolved in a big way over the years, even the earliest seasons of the show have some iconic freestyles to remember. With 33 seasons already complete, there are so many too choose from, but we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic of them all. Scroll down to see check out the list!
11. Stephen Nedoroscik & Rylee Arnold
OK, Stephen Nedoroscik finished Season 33 in fourth place, but he was certainly a fan-favorite throughout the season, and his freestyle was perfection!
Rylee Arnold did a great job at incorporating Nedoroscik’s pommel horse skills into the routine, but made sure that the tricks on the contraption didn’t overshadow the dance. The dance skills he learned throughout the season were the main focus of the dance, making it a killer combination.
10. JoJo Siwa & Jenna Johnson
Season 30 runner-ups JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson brought the heat with their freestyle. As the first same-sex pair on DWTS, Siwa and Johnson has many iconic moments during Season 30, and it all came full-circle with this one.
Having the routine set to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” perfectly encapsulated Siwa’s journey, and her impressive, fast-paced dancing was undeniably good.
(We have to note, though, that Season 30 winner Iman Shumpert also had arguably the best DWTS dance of all-time this season, too, with his Halloween contemporary).
9. Corbin Bleu & Karina Smirnoff
Corbin Bleu dancing to “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson … could anything be more perfect? He perfectly embodied everything that Karina Smirnoff choreographed this Season 17 freestyle to be.
From the moment these two entered the ballroom from the ceiling (upside down) and put on those iconic hats, it was clear this was going to be a memorable routine. Then, when they nailed Jackson’s anti-gravity lean, it was over. Put it in the history books! Seriously, has a freestyle ever been so, well … smooth?
Bleu ended up losing the season to Amber Riley, but this freestyle will forever be legendary.
8. Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd
Nyle DiMarco‘s Season 22 freestyle proved that sometimes even the simplest dances can pack the biggest punch. While many freestyles incorporate big sets, props, and other dancers, this one was just him and Peta Murgatroyd dancing contemporary in front of a burning piano.
But it was the meaning of the dance that really hit. DiMarco was the second deaf contestant to compete on DWTS and the first to win, and his dance to “The Sound of Silence” was a tribute to the deaf community. It was extremely powerful and moving, as it captured DiMarco’s attempt to bring hope to the deaf community and save lives.
I had chills watching it live in 2016, and I have chills rewatching it again now.
7. Kellie Pickler & Derek Hough
Derek Hough is a six-time Mirrorball trophy champion, so there’s no doubt that he knows how to choreograph a freestyle routine. But while most of his finale numbers tended to be upbeat and fast-paced, his Season 16 contemporary with Kellie Pickler relied on simplicity and storytelling instead … and it paid off.
The dance conveyed such intense emotion as Pickler showed off her elegance to nail every move, including a lean trick that took a lot of practice to perfect. This dance wasn’t big or flashy, but it left you feeling everything, and it was enough to earn Pickler the win over Zendaya in the May 2013 finale.
6. Milo Manheim & Witney Carson
In the most controversial Dancing With the Stars conclusion ever, Milo Manheim finished in second place behind Bobby Bones during Season 27. We will not tolerate Milo Manheim erasure in this house, and there’s no doubt his freestyle deserves another moment to shine.
Not only did he show off how good of a dancer he is with the contemporary routine, but he and Witney Carson also took risks by using umbrella props and by doing the back half of their dance on a platform of water. He may not have gotten the W, but this routine will not be forgotten!
5. Alfonso Ribeiro & Witney Carson
Carson took a much different approach with Alfonso Ribeiro‘s freestyle back in Season 19, which was a much more high-energy routine that truly showed off all of the actor’s best dance qualities.
There were moments of the routine that showed Carson can shine just as much as a solo dancer as he could with his partner. And while any freestyle routines also rely on lifts and fancy tricks, this one didn’t need that because Ribeiro was that good at just … dancing.
4. Meryl Davis & Maks Chmerkovskiy
In a word, Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy‘s Season 18 contemporary freestyle was … breathtaking.
The routine was not only danced to perfection, but the chemistry between Davis and Chmerkovskiy was truly undeniable (which, of course, is why they were rumored to be dating at the time). You simply could not take your eyes off Davis the entire time she was on the floor, and there was no doubt she was going to be declared the winner afterwards.
3. Shawn Johnson & Derek Hough
Honorable mention for Shawn Johnson‘s freestyle with Mark Ballas in Season 8, too, though, because that was also iconic and ended up being the reason she won the season. However, it doesn’t top what she brought to the floor on the All-Stars season.
You could just tell that Hough had the best time ever getting to choreograph for Johnson that season, and it showed in the freestyle, where he brought out all of his recognizable moves and took fans back to some of the unique dances he and Johnson performed throughout the season. The tricks and flips, as well as the addition of Johnson’s Olympic teammates, were just the icing on the cake.
Even though she ended up finishing in second place, her freestyle will always be remembered.
2. Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold
Season 25 winner Jordan Fisher has to be one of the best dancers this show has ever seen. He truly crushed it every. single. week, with both ballroom and Latin-style dances. So, of course, it’s no surprise that his freestyle with Lindsay Arnold was show-stopping.
Has there ever been a freestyle that included this much content? Seriously, Fisher never stopped moving for a second and every part of the dance was hit to perfection. BRB, going to rewatch this 100 more times now.
1. Drew Lachey & Cheryl Burke
OK, the quality of dance and production on this show has come a long way since Season 2, but Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke‘s freestyle truly walked so everyone else’s could run. They completely captured what a freestyle is supposed to be with their 2006 routine to “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” and it will always be remembered.
Burke took advantage of the “no rules” guidance with her choreography, and Lachey was down for everything she threw at him. You simply cannot talk about DWTS freestyles without mentioning this dance, and for that reason, it will always go down in history as the most iconic.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34 Finale, Tuesday, November 25, 8/7, ABC and Disney+