By David T. Valentin
It’s been almost a month now since Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars premiered, and while we’re all excited to see what each contestant brings to the stage, I know I’m rooting for JoJo Siwa and her dance partner Jenna Johnson.
The excitement is in the inclusion of JoJo Siwa. Just last year, the dancing star came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community without applying any labels to herself in a short video posted to her socials. In her coming out video she says she wants people to know “there’s so much love in the world... it’s wonderful!”
The star shares that love as being the first contestant after 30 seasons of Dancing With the Stars to perform same-sex dance routines. And although there were some questions as to the gendering of dance and who performs what, Siwa has yet to disappoint fans.
In the most recent episode of Dancing with the Stars JoJo Siwa and her partner Jenna Johnson performed the Viennese Waltz to “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart makes” from Cinderella for the show’s Disney Week: Heroes Night theme.
JoJo donned a glittering replica of Prince Charming’s outfit during the ball in Cinderella and Jenna dressed in a replica of Cinderella’s iconic blue gown. Siwa took the leading role of the dance, a role usually played by the man in the partnership while Jenna took the follower role. With flawless effort the two danced across the stage, wowing audience members and the judges.
Their performance was so well done that they scored a nine for their performance, the first one of the season.
Judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli noted that the dance was a breath of fresh air on the Viennese Waltz and seemed to bring the traditional dance into the 21st Century.
Indeed, the pair’s performance brings a joyful tear to my eye. It’s refreshing to see a same-sex pair dancing away on stage. At weddings and parties, it seems very rare to see a same-sex couple or pair dancing around, as if slow dances are reserved for straight couples and pairings. But Siwa and her partner redefined a traditionally gendered performance and proved that with enough creativity, anyone can live their truth in each and every facet of their lives.