After 20 years of the air, Dancing With the Stars has modified fairly a bit over time. After the primary few seasons, the present started introducing theme weeks, and so they’ve continued including new ones to maintain issues recent as time went on.
Whereas many theme nights, similar to Disney Night time, Halloween Night time, and Workforce Dances) are repeated throughout a number of seasons, others are one-and-done. The latter are usually those who honor a selected artist or fashion of music (as an illustration, there was a Britney Spears evening, a Taylor Swift evening, and extra).
Over the previous 33 seasons of Dancing With the Stars, we’ve seen dozens of themes within the ballroom, however we rounded up one of the best of one of the best. Scroll right down to verify them out!
16. Nation Night time
Yee-haw! The primary Nation Night time befell throughout Season 15, and the theme has popped up a number of extra occasions over time. This honky-tonk theme is all about music from Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and different Nashville stars, which implies the pairs should put their dancing abilities to the take a look at with songs that is probably not typical for the ballroom setting.
Even so, Juan Pablo Di Tempo (whose boots had been made for dancing!) and Cheryl Burke efficiently lassoed their Charleston to “One Shot” by Hunter Hayes throughout Season 27 in 2018.
15. Soul Prepare Night time
“Love, peace, and soul” reigned on the dance ground in Season 33, which featured a particular Soul Prepare theme during which contestants grooved in routines set to songs that had been as soon as carried out on the enduring 1971–2006 TV dance collection. The judges had been joined by particular visitor Rosie Perez, a former Soul Prepare dancer. Derek Hough led a grasp class to Kool & the Gang’s “Get Down on It,” and the {couples} carried out to a plethora of different songs, starting from the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine” to Aretha Franklin‘s “Belief” and Patti LaBelle‘s “Girl Marmalade.”
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong earned the very best rating of the evening (36 out of 40) for his or her cha-cha to “It’s Tough” by hip-hop hitmakers Run-DMC.
14. Boy Band & Woman Group Night time
You possibly can’t hurry love or the race to win the Mirrorball trophy! Week 9 of Season 28 featured music from iconic boy bands and woman teams. The six remaining {couples} had been tasked with performing two dances every: one to a music by an iconic woman group — such because the Supremes, the Spice Women and the Pointer Sisters — and the second to a music by a boy band, together with hits by the Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Males.
Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber had been the couple who owned the evening, scoring 40 out of 40 for each of their dances, but it surely was their jazz to “Step by Step” by New Youngsters on the Block that had followers buzzing for days.
13. Latin Night time
Issues at all times get attractive on Latin Night time! Whereas Latin routines are carried out all through the seasons, this theme is particularly devoted to Latin dance types, amongst them the samba, paso doble and salsa. The primary Latin Night time befell in Season 14, and though the theme hasn’t popped up as a lot lately, it’s offered among the hottest numbers within the present’s historical past.
Who might overlook Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko‘s steamy Argentine tango — probably the most scorching dances in each season — in 2016? They scored an ideal 40 for his or her superhot dance, which was set to Selena Gomez‘s “Arms to Myself” and concluded with them getting drenched by a showerhead, Flashdance-style.
12. A Celebration of Taylor Swift
There’s no denying that 2023 was the 12 months of Taylor Swift. Whereas the megastar was within the midst of her record-breaking Eras Tour, DWTS let the six remaining Season 32 contestants compete to fill the “Clean House” on the high of the leaderboard because the present put her music entrance and heart, dancing to such songs as “Merciless Summer season,” “You Belong With Me” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagech stole the present with their Argentine tango to “Don’t Blame Me.” They scored an ideal 40 out of 40. Three pairs additionally earned three further factors in a dance relay with rou- tines additionally set to Swift hits.
11. Iconic Dances
The one all-star model of the present, 2012’s Season 15, included an evening devoted to iconic dances from the earlier 14 seasons, with the pairs placing their very own twist on previous routines, hoping to ship a efficiency that was simply as wonderful.
Derek Hough was impressed by sister Julianne Hough‘s Season 5 quickstep with Hélio Castroneves for his iconic dance with Shawn Johnson. Drawing on Johnson’s gymnastics historical past, they launched the dance by leaping from mini trampolines and did splits. They didn’t wish to outdo Castroneves, “however simply do it otherwise,” Johnson stated. Decide Bruno Tonioli known as it “one of the best dance I’ve seen in 15 seasons.”
10. Janet Jackson Night time
The dancers in Week 8 of Season 30 in 2021 acquired nasty! The theme was all concerning the iconic famous person Janet Jackson, and the eight remaining {couples} danced to a few of her many hit songs, together with “Nasty,” “That’s the Method Love Goes” and “Rhythm Nation.”
The competitors additionally featured difficult dance-offs, the place two pairs battled one another head-to-head on the ground to the identical music. Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten completely crushed their jazz routine to “Miss You A lot,” which earned them a 40 out of 40 rating. It wasn’t the one excellent end result
9. Britney Night time
Amid Britney Spears’ authorized battle to be free of her conservatorship in 2021, Dancing With the Stars paid tribute to the pop singer with an evening in her honor throughout Week 3 of Season 30. Pairs took to the ground performing their foxtrots and cha-chas to “Poisonous,” “Oops!…I Did It Once more” and extra.
In fact, there’s no Britney music that’s extra traditional than “…Child One Extra Time,” and JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson had been the fortunate pair to land the monitor as their music. The ladies carried out a fierce Argentine tango and tied for the highest of the leaderboard with a 24 out of 30 (a formidable rating for thus early within the season).
8. On the spot Dance
This difficult theme made its debut in Season 11. The pairs had their ordinary full week to observe their choreography, however what music they’d be dancing to remained a carefully guarded secret till 45 minutes earlier than showtime. There have been variations of this tough problem over time — the toughest is usually when the dance fashion, music and costumes are revealed on the spot.
In Season 33, a daring leg-lift in Danny Amendola and Witney Carson‘s instantaneous modern dance went viral, however in 2011, J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff actually understood their task. Smirnoff had divided their instantaneous jive into 4 sections, so after they realized their music can be Little Richard‘s “Tutti Frutti,” they knew simply what to do. They scored an ideal 30 for the upbeat routine.
7. Associate Swap
As if studying fashion of dance each week wasn’t laborious sufficient, DWTS added the Associate Swap theme in Season 18 to complicate issues even additional. Viewers might vote for which skilled dancer and celeb they wished to see spinning across the ground collectively. To try this, the contestants needed to spend every week studying from somebody who was not their common accomplice.
Whereas the theme hasn’t been completed since Season 22 in 2016, it did give us some memorable moments, together with Alexa PenaVega and Derek Hough’s Season 21 tango to “Pompeii” by Bastille. The routine earned PenaVega her first excellent rating of the season.
6. Trio Night time
Three isn’t a crowd on DWTS. Season 17 launched Trio Night time, requiring the pairs so as to add a 3rd individual to their routine. In some instances, the addition was a beforehand eradicated professional or member of the dance troupe, however Season 25 featured an excellent crazier twist: Former DWTS contestants returned to the ballroom to affix the six remaining pairs on the dance ground.
This gave us probably the greatest dances ever when 2013 contestant Corbin Bleu teamed up with Jordan Fisher and professional Lindsay Arnold for a salsa to “Que Viva La Vida” by Wisin. The trio earned the one excellent rating of the evening and introduced the home down.
5. Halloween Night time
The 12 months’s spookiest evening is among the largest Dancing With the Stars staples. The costumed extravaganza was launched in Season 3, though it didn’t develop into a constant theme till Season 17. The present’s excellent costume, hair and make-up groups at all times go all out in relation to dressing up the forged with getups starting from darkly ghoulish to tremendous spooky — even the judges get in on the methods and treats.
Throughout Season 23 in 2016, with substitute accomplice Jenna Johnson, James Hinchcliffe completely channeled the Joker from the movie Suicide Squad, full with inexperienced hair and menacing grimace. They scored an ideal 30 for his or her diabolically good Viennese waltz to “You Don’t Personal Me” by Grace, that includes G-Eazy.
4. Workforce Dances
This theme requires a number of completely different pairs to work collectively to carry out a routine that manages to play to every of their strengths. It was first launched again in Season 7, and since then, the groups have been chosen in a wide range of methods, together with schoolyard picks and by way of fan votes.
One of the memorable is the “Name Me Possibly” freestyle from Season 15. Apolo Ohno and Karina Smirnoff, Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani, Sabrina Bryan and Louis van Amstel, and Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough carried out a cheerleader-inspired quantity to Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit and crushed it, even after Rycroft had suffered a neck harm in rehearsals.
3. Disney Night time
Dancing With the Stars launched Disney Night time in Season 18. Individuals are required to bounce to a music from a Disney movie (e.g., hits similar to Aladdin‘s “Buddy Like Me” and Frozen‘s “Let It Go”). The enjoyable evening typically occurs across the midpoint of the competitors (often with a cameo from Mickey Mouse himself).
There have been so many unbelievable Disney Night time performances over time, however maybe probably the most memorable got here from Riker Lynch and Allison Holker throughout Season 20. Their Pirates of the Caribbean–themed paso doble earned them a 38 out of 40, however his Jack Sparrow costume is what actually stole the present.
2. Freestyle
The freestyle is undoubtedly a very powerful dance of the season. Since Season 1, the finals have been centered round this quantity during which the pairs can select to bounce utilizing no matter strikes they need. Lifts, methods and varied types are all as much as the professionals choreographing the routines.
The freestyle is supposed to point out off the finalists’ strengths, and there have been many iconic routines over time, from Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo’s Season 1 effort to Jennifer Lopez‘s “Let’s Get Loud,” which earned them the collection’ first-ever set of excellent 10s, to Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson’s Broadway freestyle in Season 9. However Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke actually set the usual again in 2006 with their Season 2 finale routine to “Save a Horse (Experience a Cowboy).”
1. Most Memorable Yr
This one is at all times certain to be a tearjerker. Since Season 10, many DWTS seasons have featured a Most Memorable Yr evening, and it’s at all times probably the most emotional evening of the competitors. The theme offers the celebs an opportunity to share a few of their private tales, and it typically solidifies their bonds with their professional companions, who’re tasked with choreographing a routine impressed by a pivotal second of their star’s life.
Bindi Irwin‘s Season 21 modern dance commemorating her father, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, and his tragic dying in 2006 left the viewers in tears. In fact, so did Selma Blair and Sasha Farber’s 2022 waltz to “What the World Wants Now Is Love” by Andra Day, which they had been capable of carry out regardless of Selma’s withdrawal from Season 31 because of her a number of sclerosis.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34 Premiere, Tuesday, September 16, 8/7c, ABC (Subsequent Day on Hulu)
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