Disney Week on Dancing with the Stars!

I’m a former professional contemporary jazz dancer. I have grown up on shows like So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew, but I never really got into Dancing with the Stars because ballroom dancing was never my favorite nor was I skilled at it. However, my attention peaks whenever I hear they are doing Disney week. This year they did a Heroes and a Villains night.

Editors Note: Spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

I admit that this review comes from watching the dances on YouTube, with no context on how the couples have done previously in the competition specifically because I love all things Disney.

Like 37 million other people, I follow Jojo Siwa on TikTok, so I see her posts from behind the scenes on the show. She recently came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and is making history as the first contestant to dance with a same sex partner in Jenna Chmerkovskiy. These two did their two dances to “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” as Cinderella and Prince Charming for Heroes and “So Many Ways to be Wicked” from the Descendants for Villains.

Spoiler Alert: they stayed in the competition. 

Photo from justjaredjr.com

Spoiler alert: Brian Austin Green of 90210 Fame and his partner and real life girlfriend, Sharna Burgess were eliminated after dancing to “Someday my Prince Will Come” and a medley of music from “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Again, I have no context about how they did previously, but their dances seemed wooden to me. The energy wasn’t there.

Photo from okmagazine.com

Another Spoiler alert: A double elimination happened with Matt James of the Bachelor and Lindsay Arnold going home from a vote from judge, Len over Kenya Moore of the Real Housewives of Atlanta and her partner, Brandon Armstrong.

Photo from californianewstimes.com

Honestly, after watching the two couples’ dances, I was surprised by this outcome which it seems I am not alone according to Goodhousekeeping.com.

Lindsay and Matt danced to “Jungle” by Jamie N Commons and X Ambassadors seemingly for the villains of the Jungle Book. I couldn’t help but think, aren’t there enough great Disney villain songs? Kenya Moore and Brandon danced to “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande as the Evil Queen from Snow White. Again, isn’t there a real Disney villain song? I’m thinking “Friends on the Other Side” from The Princess and the Frog as a jazz piece. But alas, both couple did well. I’m not a ballroom expert, but I was entertained by both dances.

I guess nothing is ever fair on the dance floor.

Other standouts for me were Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke dancing to “Stand Out” from the Goofy Movie. Rigsby, a Peleton instructor, was dressed as Powerline. Being the millennial that I am, I was of course overjoyed to see some representation of The Goofy Movie. The dance wasn’t my favorite, but it was obviously enjoyed by the dancers and the audience.

Photo from eonline.com

Mel C and her partner danced to “Step in Time” from Mary Poppins. It was a jazz dance, so that was in my wheelhouse. I loved the energy and choreography of this dance.

Photo from insider.com

Again, I’m not a Dancing with the Stars fan girl, but I do enjoy the mix of Disney and dance. It was great to see the two combined. As we know Disney owns ABC, and Dancing with the Stars in on ABC, so a match made in Disney heaven ensued.

I suppose that I am rooting for JoJo to win this season for a multitude of reasons. She was torn to shreds by Abby Lee Miller most of the time on Dance Moms, so I’d love to see her win this dance competition. Also, I love that she is making history with her same sex partnership. However, having watched these Disney dances only, their dances seem well executed and choreographed.

Do you love Dancing with the Stars? Who are you rooting for? Why? Comment below.