More than Sequins and Spray Tans:
5 Reasons to Watch Dancing with the Stars

Heading into its 24th season, Dancing with the Stars, a reality television show that invites celebrities from varying walks of popular culture to work with professional dancers to learn and perform ballroom and Latin dance routines for its audiences, has enjoyed tremendous success. Each week's episode reveals the training process of each of its celebrity guests before their dance performance, which then receives feedback and scores from professional judges. Based on a combination of audience voting and judges' scores, at least one celebrity goes home each week, until the final three guest celebrities compete to win the coveted mirror ball trophy. While a casual viewing of just one episode might dazzle the viewer with spray tanned bodies and glittering sequins, a look beyond the surface will reveal a number of other reasons to watch the show.

To start, Dancing with the Stars devotes a portion of each episode to showcasing the learning process that each celebrity experiences. In many episodes, viewers see a celebrity, such as Rob Kardashian, learning the steps of a new dance from their dance partner.  None of these behind-the-scenes clips of the dance preparation looks easy, and frequently viewers witness the frustration of the celebrities about their inability to master something quickly.  Seeing the celebrities experience these difficulties allows the audience to recognize their fallibility.  Too often famous persons are idealized in unrealistic ways. Their struggle reinforces what June Deery argues is a primary element in reality TV, "amateur status" (63); none of the celebrities that participate are professional dancers. Viewers also catch a glimpse of how much time, effort, and repetition it might take to learn a new step. When the images of hard work are juxtaposed against the final performances, where the audience gets to see a polished dance routine, the show delivers a strong message to viewers about the benefits of hard work.  Few things come easy in life, and the commitment that many of the celebrities show argues for the value of such a philosophy.  Of course, audiences do not see a full training session with any one celebrity, thus the scenes displayed do reinforce the “That’s what we’re looking for” editing that Makkai implicitly criticizes in “The November Story” (78).  Ultimately, seeing a celebrity struggle with learning a new skill, particularly one connected to the entertainment industry, provides a positive model of behavior for viewers, telling them that everyone can and should challenge themselves to try new experiences.

Kirstie Alley in training with
Maksim Chmerkovskiy

As an educator, another reason to find value in the show lies within its teaching and learning structure. Each celebrity is paired with a different pro dancer, so audiences watch the teaching and learning styles of at least 12 different pairs each season. While audiences cannot view the entirety of any one training session, the fact that the show lasts for at least three months emphasizes the importance of developing a relationship with a teacher. Those teachers/students who build trust demonstrate greater growth and a stronger acquisition of the skill being learned. Pro dancers can often be heard asking, "How long did it take you to become a medal-winning gymnast . . . or a pro-football player  . . . or an award-winning singer?" The answer is always inevitably . . . years. Thus audiences are frequently reminded that learning takes time and teachers' expertise has value. The professional dancers are artists who have worked  for many years to become the experts that they are, practicing the art form of dance. Living in our current culture of immediacy, it's not bad to be reminded that things of value take time and effort.

All of the time and effort pay off in other ways, namely the physical health of the contestants, and more importantly the psychological attitude toward their bodies. Underneath the glittering sequins and spray tans, celebrities are shedding pounds. While this is more evidently seen for celebrities like Kirstie Alley or Joey Fatone, better physical strength happens for all contestants. The ability to maintain a strong frame in a ballroom dance like the waltz directly correlates to the core strength of the dancers' bodies. Even model thin celebrities have received direction from the judges to work on their core strength. While the training regimen helps improve those bodies, the positive reinforcement of the pro dancers and the judges' commentary help the contestants to value how they look, no matter their size. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba is particularly good about commenting upon the confidence, sex appeal, and strength being shown on the floor. In an article with People magazine, contestant Ginger Zee remarked, "I found a pride in myself that I'd never had before," even though she had only lost a net of two pounds during her run on DWTS (Gomez 100). Her past battle with anorexia makes this comment that much more telling. Sexy comes in every size on Dancing with the Stars.

Deaf contestant Nyle DiMarco

A stronger core and greater stamina are not the only ideas connected to the body that find discourse on DWTS. Even more importantly, through its selection of celebrity contestants, the show has also been able to highlight the challenges of those living with disabilities. From blind to deaf, little person to amputee soldier, the competition has showcased all walks of life. For example, deaf contestant Nyle DiMarco won the mirror ball trophy in Season 22. Completely unable to hear the music, his success can be attributed directly to the teaching skills of his partner Peta Murgatroyd, and his own determination not to let his disability define him. Here's a link to a video of his freestyle performance: Nyle Dimarco's Freestyle. In Season 20, Noah Galloway, an amputee of both left arm and part of his left leg, made it into the finale, finishing in third place. As Noah Galloway himself remarked in American Fitness, "Dancing with a prosthetic leg was challenging, but I showed up in great shape. I heard the music, I had rhythm, but the process was mentally challenging” (Viti 42). Their successes can be seen as inspirational to others in similar circumstances. DTWS provides a national platform for these kinds of stories to come front and center.

At the end of the day, Dancing with the Stars provides great live entertainment. Clips of Marie Osmond fainting and fans protesting Ryan Lochtee make for good TV. However, beyond the glitz and glitter, DWTS is making a good case for being active, for pushing yourself beyond your limits, and for celebrating the artistry and storytelling of dance.

Works Cited

Deery, June. Reality TV. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2015.

Gomez, Patrick. "Good Morning America's Ginger Zee: Learning to Love Myself." People, vol. 86, no. 1, 4 Jul. 2016, pp. 99-102.

Makkai, Rebecca. “The November Story.” Crazyhorse, vol. 78, 2010, pp. 77-86.

Viti, Lucia. "Noah Galloway." American Fitness, vol. 34, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2016, pp. 40-42.