“Dancing With the Stars” is kicking off Season 35 with a nostalgic challenge. The special two-night premiere on September 15 and 16 splits the 16 celebrities into two groups, with the men dancing on Night One and the women taking over the ballroom on Night Two.
For their first routines, every celebrity must dance to a song that reached No. 1 during the year they were born. The lineup mixes ballroom styles including tango, cha-cha, salsa, quickstep, foxtrot and jive with hits spanning several decades.
Night One includes Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman performing a salsa to Tag Team’s “Whoomp! There It Is.” Paralympic champion Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach take on a tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” while Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold dance a cha-cha to Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It.”
Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart bring Billy Joel into the ballroom with a quickstep to “Tell Her About It.” Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson and Emma Slater perform a cha-cha to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” a routine Olson admitted was part of an experience far more difficult than he expected.
Guillermo Rodriguez partners with reigning champion Witney Carson for a cha-cha to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff.” Meanwhile, experienced dancer and “Glee” star Harry Shum Jr. joins Jenna Johnson for a cha-cha set to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove.”
Tyler Cameron completes the male lineup alongside returning pro Sharna Burgess. The pair perform a tango to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” marking Burgess’ return to the competition after a five-year absence.
Night Two brings the eight female celebrities into the ballroom. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actress Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik perform a jive to Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood,” while Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy take on a tango to Blondie’s “Call Me.”
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas will slow things down with a foxtrot to Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet.” Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten have a tango to Shocking Blue’s “Venus,” with De Laurentiis revealing that thinking about choreography almost like a recipe helped her learn the steps.
Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov will dance a cha-cha to Santana and Rob Thomas’ “Smooth.” Despite Glenn’s extensive skating experience, she has acknowledged that ballroom dancing requires her body to work in different ways from what she is accustomed to on the ice.
Sarah Jane Nader and new pro Hailey Bills will perform a jive to Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.” Their pairing is also notable because they are only the second female same-sex couple to compete on the show, following JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson in Season 30.
Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong are set to perform a foxtrot to Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).” Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa round out the cast with a quickstep to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” giving Stiles another opportunity to dance publicly more than two decades after “Save the Last Dance.”
The nostalgic songs are only part of the pressure surrounding premiere week because voting happens separately for each night’s contestants, and one celebrity is eliminated at the end of each episode. With two contestants leaving before the regular weekly schedule even begins, Season 35 is making every first dance—and every viewer vote—matter immediately.
