Rio JU Warrior Reged: 04/09/07 Posts: 133047 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio EW: DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba addresses dance backgrounds of season 35 standouts Julia Stiles and Jenna Dewan 09/07/26 07:57 AM Edit Reply Quote DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba addresses dance backgrounds of season 35 standouts Julia Stiles and Jenna Dewan Stiles starred in the 2001 classic “Save the Last Dance,” while Dewan toured with Janet Jackson and appeared in “Step Up.” By Ryan Coleman September 7, 2026 9:15 a.m. ET KEY POINTS *Carrie Ann Inaba is weighing in on the dance backgrounds of two contestants on Dancing With the Stars season 35: Julia Stiles and Jenna Dewan. *Stiles starred in the 2001 dance drama Save the Last Dance, while Dewan toured with Janet Jackson and appeared in dance film Step Up. *The transition from screen dancer or even hip-hop dancer to ballroom pro is “not as easy as people think,” Inaba tells EW. “But they have an advantage in some ways.” It’s one of the questions that season after season of Dancing With the Stars doesn’t seem to provide a definitive answer to: Should contestants with dance backgrounds be judged differently? Wednesday’s season 35 cast announcement stirred up a good deal of excited chatter, some of it resulting in divisive debate. Among the most contested subjects revolved around contestants like Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan, and Harry Shum Jr., all of whom have backgrounds in dance, though to notably different depths. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly after the big cast reveal, longtime judge Carrie Ann Inaba weighed in on the merits and potential pitfalls of taking an extra-critical eye to Stiles and Dewan in particular https://ew.com/dwts-carrie-ann-inaba-on-julia-stiles-jenna-dewan-dance-backgrounds-12107707 Rio: "Warriors...Come out to playay!!!!!!!!!" Report Remind Me Link

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