Harry Shum Jr. made an impressive entrance into the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom, earning the highest score of the first night of the Season 35 premiere with professional partner Jenna Johnson. Their performance immediately put Shum in the spotlight—but also revived debate about his extensive dance background.
Shum and Johnson performed a high-energy cha-cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic “Let’s Groove.” The song fit the premiere’s theme, which challenged the celebrities to dance to No. 1 hits connected to the years they were born.
The judges responded enthusiastically, awarding the couple 21 points out of 30. That gave Shum and Johnson the highest score among the eight male celebrities who competed on the first night, narrowly ahead of Paralympic champion Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, who received 20.
Shum’s strong opening performance was hardly surprising to viewers familiar with his career. Before becoming widely known as Mike Chang on “Glee,” he worked professionally as a dancer and performed as a backup dancer for major artists, including Beyoncé. He also appeared in the “Step Up” film franchise.
That résumé has led some “DWTS” viewers to question whether Shum entered Season 35 with an advantage over celebrities who have little or no previous dance experience. Similar debates have followed contestants with substantial dance backgrounds throughout the show’s history.
Shum, however, argues that knowing how to dance does not automatically mean knowing how to ballroom dance. He has emphasized that he never received the kind of formal ballroom training required for “Dancing With the Stars,” where partnering, frame, posture and technique can differ dramatically from commercial dancing.
His premiere performance actually demonstrated some of those differences. Although the routine earned the night’s highest score, observers noted that Shum still had technical areas to improve, including movements that reflected habits developed through his previous commercial dance experience.
After the premiere, Shum addressed the controversy directly. He pointed out that contestants with dance backgrounds have not always gone far on “DWTS,” arguing that success on the show involves considerably more than executing choreography correctly.
For Shum, storytelling, personality and the connection between celebrity, professional partner and audience are also crucial parts of the competition. He said watching previous seasons changed his own understanding of “DWTS” because he realized how many elements beyond dancing determine whether a performance connects with viewers.
Johnson has also defended contestants who arrive with previous dance experience. Before Season 35 began, she explained that performing live ballroom routines creates an entirely different challenge, including learning new techniques quickly and handling the pressure of millions of viewers watching in real time.
Shum has admitted that the expectations surrounding him create pressure. He recently revealed that constant pressure was one reason he previously stepped away from dancing, but said he is approaching this opportunity differently now and trying to enjoy the experience while continuing to learn.
His first cha-cha certainly showed why viewers entered Season 35 with high expectations, but one strong routine does not settle the debate over how his previous experience will translate to ballroom competition. What is clear after premiere night is that Shum and Johnson started strongly with a 21 out of 30, while Shum insists his past experience is only one part of what it will take to succeed on “Dancing With the Stars.”
