Jenna Dewan defended her casting on “Dancing With the Stars” Wednesday after fans suggested the “Step Up” star and former Janet Jackson backup dancer might have an unfair advantage in the competition.
While addressing her upcoming stint as a competitor on Season 35 with Entertainment Weekly, Dewan defended that she’s new to the ballroom style of dance, calling it a “different” language.
“I do not know how to ballroom dance. Let’s be clear. It’s two different languages,” she told the outlet. “There’s parts of my dance training that’s helpful, obviously. I’ve learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me.”
“It’s a new technique, brand new technique,” she continued. “It almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of — I don’t want to say bad habits — but just habits of the style that I’m used to.”
In fact, Dewan, who also danced professionally for Justin Timberlake, confessed that her background in dance actually has her feeling “nervous” heading into the competition. As she put it, ballroom dance feels “really foreign” to her.
“It’s not like you’re giving me a style that I’ve done — I can go out there and do that,” “The Rookie” star added. “It has its advantages, but it also has its challenges. But that was part of why I wanted to do it. I really wanted to challenge myself.”
Her partner, 20-season pro Val Chmerkovskiy, spoke out in defense of her casting, too.
“First of all, it’s naive to think that this show is just about dance,” he noted. “It’s about the human experience and the human journey and how much you’re willing to reveal yourself. Dance is a vehicle for us to find out more about these people — and I think that’s our advantage.”
While Chmerkovskiy acknowledged that Dewan is an “incredible talent,” he warned that “with great talent comes incredible expectation.”
Of course, Dewan is not the first celebrity competitor who has had to face allegations of being overly qualified. “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt, who competed with Mark Ballas last season, faced similar push back after it was revealed she studied dance in college.
Then there’s Harry Shum Jr., who joins Dewan as a celebrity contestant for Season 35. He has also faced a similar narrative online, given his prior role as one of the main dancers on Fox’s “Glee.”
The other celebrities joining the series include Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson, Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Giada De Laurentiis, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Taylor Hanson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Julia Stiles and Connor Wood.
The two-part premiere of “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 will air Tuesday-Wednesday, Sept. 15-16 on ABC and Disney+.
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