One of the highlights last week on our whirlwind Disney Press trip for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Premiere was a dance lesson from cast members of ABC TV’s Dancing with the Stars. It was an amazing opportunity to see these very talented dancers in person, and hear about their experiences on the show. Read on to hear more about my dance lesson and make sure you tune in TONIGHT as they get closer to their season finale. It’s going to be AMAZING!!
Alan Bersten, DWTS Troupe Member
Dancing With the Stars
In 2015, I was invited to the Good Dinosaur press trip, where we had the opportunity to attend a live taping of Dancing with the Stars. It was such a fun opportunity to see this LIVE show come together behind the scenes. Not to mention, it was incredible to watch all the very talented dancers in person.
Ever since that experience, my daughter and I have watched Dancing with the Stars religiously every week. This season has been incredible with Olympic gymnast, Simone Biles, Football star, Rashad Jennings, and Glee Actress Heather Morris (to name a few of my favorites). Last week, was Disney Night and truth be told, I watched their dances twice, they were so good.
So you can imagine my excitement when we found out that on our Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 trip we would be taking a dancing lesson from some of the cast?!?
“Dancing with the Stars” Troupe members Alan Bersten, Brittany Cherry, Britt Stewart, Hayley Erbert, Brandon Stewart and newest member Artur Adamski, gave us us an “easy & fun ballroom dance lesson”.
Um…….Is not the right time to tell them I can’t dance????
Behind the Scenes of Dancing With the Stars
Heading into our interview with the DWTS troupe, I had a ton of questions swimming through my mind – How hard is it to learn new routines each week? Are your feet constantly killing you? How sexy are Maxs & Val…… uh, maybe not that one……
DWTS Troupe Members
We had a quick few moments for Q& A with the troupe where they introduced themselves and told us their background. I was surprised that many of them have danced competitively for years together and several actually competed on another dance show before joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars. And many in the troupe never danced ballroom before they joined DWTS! Can you believe it? They make it look so good!
Here’s a bit of the conversation we had:
They all remarked at how quickly the season seems to go by. Each week is filled with many dance rehearsals as the troupe is typically in the opening number as well as many dances that they do when they come back from a commercial. And several get chosen to be back-up dancers in some of the competitive pieces.
The troupe also has to be ready to be called up in a moments notice to fill in for an injured pro. This season, Alan Bersten has been filling in for Maks Chmerkovskiy with former Glee-star, Heather Morris. Make was injured early in the season and Alan did an awesome job picking up and making Morris shine. Bersten told us how much more stressful the week can be, as the pro has to not only choreograph a specific dance, but they also have to ensure their “non-dancer” star can learn the dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZkSnxOeP4Y&feature=youtu.be
Well all that hard work pays off, because they make it look so easy on Monday nights.
Dancing With the Stars Dance Lesson
I have to admit, I was very skeptical heading into our dance lesson. Quite frankly, I would have loved to continue learning more behind-the-scenes secrets rather than watch myself try to dance. But y’all!! It was SO MUCH FUN! I have never taken a ballroom lesson before and it really wasn’t as hard as it seems. Once I got over looking at myself in the mirror (and not laughing), I relaxed and had a GREAT time!
Learning to Salsa | Photo Credit: Marshall Weinbaum
After teaching us a few salsa steps, we moved onto some super complex choreography. Just kidding, it wasn’t that bad – in fact, it was really fun and the entire lesson went by way too fast.
We were split into a few groups and came up with a few moves of our own! Here’s our dance:
Brandon was our group leader – Team MIRRORBALL – and together we killed it!
DWTS Troupe Members Britt Stewart & Brandon Strong
Dancing With the Stars Mondays on ABC
Tonight, Monday, April 24 at 8:00 ET/7:00 CST on ABC, the eight remaining celebrities will dance to songs from some of the most popular boy bands and girl groups throughout history, and the men and women will also compete against each other in team dances. Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter will join the show as a guest judge.
I’m so excited to hear some of my favorite boy bands and girl groups tonight! Simone and Sasha are performing a samba to Destiny’s Child, Bonner and Sharna are dancing a rumba to Backstreet Boys, Nick and Peta are jiving to The Beach Boys, Normani and Val are dancing a salsa to The Pussycat Dolls, and David and Lindsay are performing an Argentine tango to *NSYNC.
Also, we are super happy to see Maks return to the ballroom floor!! He and Heather will perform a rumba to TLC.
And then check out the Team Dances:
The Men of Dancing with the Stars | Photo Credit: ABC Television
Bonner Bolton, Nick Viall, David Ross and Rashad Jennings will dance to a medley of “Dancing Machine” by Jackson 5, “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” by New Kids on the Block and “Best Song Ever” by One Direction.
The Women of Dancing with the Stars | Photo Credit: ABC Television
Simone Biles, Nancy Kerrigan, Normani Kordei and Heather Morris will dance to a medley of “My Boyfriend’s Back” by The Chiffons, “No Scrubs” by TLC and “BO$$” by Fifth Harmony.
Each celebrity will perform a samba, rumba, tango, paso doblé, salsa, Argentine tango or jive.
It’s not too late to start watching the season!! All the Stars are fantastic dancers, which has made for a very entertaining season so far!
I am so excited to watch the show AND vote! Don’t forget that our votes count! You can cast your vote for your favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 60 minutes after the end of the Dancing with the Stars broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at www.abc.com and on Facebook . Who will you be voting for??
Check out more of the fun we had on the #GOTGVol2Event press trip:
I’m Heading to LA for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 World Premiere!
Fun Facts About Born in China
That Time When the Dancing With the Stars Cast Taught Me How to Dance
My Purple Carpet Experience at the World Premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Chris Pratt Reveals Peter Quill’s Favorite Snack: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Easter Eggs
Radio Disney Music Awards
Disney Channel’s Descendants 2 Spoilers
Zoe Saldana Reveals Why She’d Like a Break From Playing Kick Ass Science Fiction Females
Does American Housewife Katy Mixon Read Our Thoughts?
Dave Bautista: Guardians versus the Avengers
Meet the Ladies of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2: Karen Gillian, Pom Klementieff & Elizabeth Debicki
10 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Toys You Must Have
Kurt Russell Reveals Why He Thought He Would Kill Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Disclaimer: Disney sent me to Los Angeles on an all-expenses paid press trip, in exchange for my coverage of the our interview with the troupe cast of Dancing with the Stars. All opinions are my own.
