- 5 weeks ago
Step into the spotlight with “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro,” where 12 talented dancers battle for a coveted spot on the professional lineup. This fresh competition tests not only their technique but also their choreography, teaching skills, and on-camera charisma. With industry legends like Shirley Ballas and Mark Ballas judging, and Robert Irwin hosting, get ready for all the drama, passion, and dance you love—turned all the way up!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Let's find out who will be...
00:025, 6, 7, 8, go, go, go.
00:04The next pro!
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're stepping into the ballroom
00:10to talk about the latest evolution of reality television's most sparkly competition,
00:15Dancing with the Stars, The Next Pro.
00:17The queen has spoken.
00:19Let the fiercest dance battle begin.
00:22The concept, a new kind of pressure.
00:25For over two decades, we've watched celebrities struggle, sweat and sparkle on the Dancing with the Stars stage.
00:32But if you've watched the show for years, you know the pros have always been the secret sauce.
00:43They're the ones teaching complete beginners, creating brand new routines every week,
00:49and pushing their partners to be the best they can be.
00:51Now, for the first time, they're finally getting a competition of their own.
00:56For the first time in Dancing with the Stars history, the greatest dancers will compete for a spot as The
01:03Next Pro.
01:04If you thought the celebrities had it tough, this takes things to another level.
01:08This is like a boot camp that I've never experienced in my life.
01:12The Next Pro combines the intensity of a dance conservatory, the social dynamics of a reality series,
01:18and the production value we've come to expect from the franchise.
01:22Instead of competing for a mirrorball trophy alongside a celebrity,
01:26these 12 dancers are all chasing one prize, a spot on the professional dancer lineup.
01:31But they'll be pushed to the extreme.
01:33Oh my God.
01:35To become a pro dancer on the next season of Dancing with the Stars.
01:42That's a huge opportunity, and it immediately raises the stakes.
01:46It's not enough to be an incredible dancer.
01:49They also have to prove they can teach, choreograph, connect with an audience,
01:53and handle life in front of the cameras.
01:55Being a Dancing with the Stars pro has always been about so much more than technique,
02:00and this competition looks designed to test every part of the job.
02:04The dancers will face demanding challenges from our incredible judges.
02:09Meet the host, a familiar face.
02:11Guiding the competition is none other than Robert Irwin,
02:14and honestly, this feels like a really natural fit.
02:18I'm the host of this exciting new competition.
02:21Production even began in Brisbane, allowing Robert to continue his conservation work while taking on hosting duties.
02:28What makes him such a strong choice isn't just that audiences already know and like him.
02:33He also knows exactly what it feels like to be thrown into the Dancing with the Stars world.
02:37But for me, after doing the competition, then stepping into the next pro as a host,
02:42I feel like I understand what it's like to be in that competition.
02:46Having competed himself, he understands, at least to some extent, the pressure, the nerves,
02:52and the excitement these dancers will be experiencing.
02:55Moving from contestant to host feels like a natural next step.
02:59Robert has that easy-going personality that helps people feel comfortable.
03:03But he also brings plenty of energy when the competition heats up.
03:07That combination makes him a great bridge between the contestants and the audience.
03:11Also, he's just such a darl. The Aussies out there will know.
03:15I felt like I could kind of almost sort of mentor a little bit and be like,
03:18Hey, I feel you guys. Let's get through this. Let's put our best foot forward.
03:22Meanwhile, they're all trying their best to really achieve the biggest job in dance.
03:27The judges table. World-class expertise.
03:31If you're searching for the next generation of Dancing with the Stars pros,
03:34you need judges who've lived that experience themselves.
03:38Leading the panel is legendary ballroom champion Shirley Ballas.
03:41It's Shirley Ballas!
03:43I'm the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing.
03:45When you walked in, my posture got better.
03:47Long before becoming head judge on Strictly Come Dancing,
03:50she built one of the most respective competitive careers in Latin dance,
03:55earning her reputation as the queen of Latin.
03:58Joining her is three-time mirrorball champion and her son, Mark Ballas,
04:03whose creativity has made him one of the most memorable pros in Dancing with the Stars history.
04:07His choreography has always pushed boundaries,
04:10so it'll be interesting to see what catches his eye and what he expects from these competitors.
04:15I know what it's like to be a pro. I know what it's like to have highs and lows and
04:19great routines
04:19and routines not land when you were hoping they would.
04:22And then she's looking for, you know, the technique, the performance overall.
04:25So, yeah, we butted heads sometimes, but we also agreed a lot.
04:30The third chair will rotate between veteran pros from the main series,
04:34bringing in familiar faces like Daniela Karagotch, Derek Hough, and Whitney Carson as both judges and mentors.
04:41And it was fun to be in a different role other than dancing.
04:44Obviously, I dance a lot in it, but I was able to judge, which was really cool and really fun.
04:49I think people are going to love it.
04:50This is actually a really great idea because it gives the competition a passing of the torch feeling.
04:55These are the dancers who helped define the franchise, and now they get to help shape its future.
05:01And who knows better what it takes than them?
05:03With the fellas!
05:05It was amazing.
05:06Wow.
05:07I am speechless!
05:10The cast. 12 dancers, one prize.
05:14The cast pulls together talent from all over the world, creating a really interesting mix of backgrounds and specialties.
05:20We have searched the world of ballroom to find 12 of the best dancers from across the globe.
05:26Among the competitors are Benjamin Castro from Miami,
05:29Ukrainian ballroom standout Nina Maester,
05:32Canadian contemporary star Briar Nole,
05:34former Strictly Come Dancing professional AJ Pritchard,
05:38Juniors pro Jake Monreal,
05:40and former Dancing with the Stars troupe member Stephanie Sosa.
05:43And I'm just excited.
05:44I'm just excited to just, like, show the world, like, who I am, my dancing, and, yeah, make him proud.
05:48They're joined by Alan Genkin, Selina Hamilton, Natalie Jolly, Eric Linder, Adele Zeichmann, and Tristan Sanders.
05:56What's especially interesting here is the variety of dance styles represented.
06:00We're looking for someone that has fundamentals in ballroom and Latin dancing,
06:04because at the end of the day, Dancing with the Stars kind of, even though it's a dance show,
06:07and there's contemporary and jazz and other things, it kind of is a ballroom show.
06:11Ballroom is obviously the heart of the competition,
06:13but there are also dancers whose backgrounds lean more toward contemporary and hip-hop.
06:18We can already imagine that being a bit divisive among longtime fans.
06:23There's zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership.
06:29Bro, I'm getting emotional.
06:30Some people will probably want a purely ballroom cast,
06:34while others will enjoy seeing dancers pushed outside their comfort zones.
06:38But looking at the series these days, versatility has become a huge part of the competition.
06:43The pros are constantly adapting to different styles and different celebrities,
06:48so it makes sense for the competition to test that flexibility too.
06:51Dressed up like a million dollar trooper.
06:55Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper.
07:00Super duper.
07:01What to expect, challenges and format.
07:04From everything we've seen so far,
07:06the next pro looks like it's recreating the experience of being a Dancing with the Stars professional,
07:10only with even more pressure.
07:12The show did an amazing job at creating all these kind of challenges and obstacles for them,
07:18like from chemistry, creativity, choreography, and putting time limits on them,
07:22of things that they would probably experience on Dancing with the Stars.
07:26Technique will obviously be front and center.
07:28The premiere challenge alone has contestants tackling the jive and samba
07:32under the watchful eye of Derek Hough, with the weakest pairing heading home.
07:37That's a pretty intense way to kick off the competition,
07:39but being a pro has never been just about perfect footwork.
07:43We're looking for all of it.
07:44We're looking for obviously charisma,
07:47fundamentals in ballroom and Latin American dancing.
07:49Even though it's a dance show, it's at its core a ballroom and Latin show.
07:53So we're making sure that there is experience in that situation
07:55because when you're teaching someone, you have to know the craft.
07:59The dancers also need to prove they can choreograph, adapt, perform under pressure,
08:04and most importantly, teach.
08:06We've got all sorts of tests they have to do,
08:08from choreography to teaching.
08:11They've also got to have the skills of being able to mentor,
08:14and also sometimes you even have to be a counselor, don't you?
08:18Anyone can dance for themselves.
08:19Teaching someone else, especially someone with little or no dance experience,
08:24is a completely different skill.
08:26And that's one of the biggest parts of the job they're ultimately auditioning for.
08:30Because as a pro, you're kind of the anchor.
08:31You're a friend, you're a mentor, you're a choreographer,
08:35and you have to always kind of be creative.
08:37You don't really have time to have an off day, so you have to kind of just keep it moving.
08:40And as we already mentioned, current and former pros will also step in to offer feedback throughout.
08:46One of the biggest changes from the main series is how eliminations work.
08:50Unlike Dancing with the Stars, where viewers help decide who stays and who goes,
08:55the next pro leaves those decisions entirely in the hands of the judging panel.
08:59That means every rehearsal, every challenge, and every performance carries even more weight.
09:05You're an assassin.
09:06You dance expensive.
09:08It was dynamic, it was bold.
09:10It was 100% the wrong choice.
09:13Of course, there's another element that could be just as entertaining as the dancing.
09:17These 12 highly competitive dancers are also living together throughout the competition.
09:22Oh, and we're sticking the dancers all together in a house.
09:25I've never lived with somebody I competed with.
09:27I wanted more from you.
09:28You just are not willing to listen?
09:30What could possibly go wrong?
09:31Between rehearsals, auditions, eliminations, and life under one roof,
09:36it doesn't take much imagination to picture some interesting personalities clashing along the way.
09:42And with just eight episodes to earn a position on the Dancing with the Stars roster,
09:46there's very little time to recover from a bad week.
09:49Every performance could make or break someone's shot at joining the professional cast.
09:54Welcome to the dance industry.
09:56Twelve dances.
09:58Everything I've worked for comes down to this.
10:01One drain.
10:02You say you've been working your whole life for this.
10:04I can tell.
10:07Before we continue, check out this single from Current, EDM Transformed.
10:13Check out the full track and album below.
10:21Why You Should Watch.
10:23For many longtime fans, the professional dancers have always been one of the biggest reasons to tune in every season.
10:29Because I think the general public are interested in, how did you pick that professional?
10:34What did they have to do?
10:35We've watched them grow, celebrate wins, overcome setbacks, build friendships, fall in love, and become household names in their own
10:44right.
10:45Bringing fresh talent into that lineup has always been important, but we've never really seen what that process looks like.
10:51That's what makes the next pro feel so exciting.
10:54We're finally getting a look at what it actually takes to earn one of those coveted spots on the ballroom
10:59floor.
10:59It shines a spotlight on the artistry, creativity, and work ethic that have always been at the heart of the
11:05franchise.
11:06Tuesdays is full of possibilities because this is when we find out what dance we'll be doing all week, what
11:12our song is, and what our concept will be.
11:15And for this, we come up with massive ideas.
11:18In our minds, this is the greatest dance ever!
11:21With a premiere just around the corner on July 13th, there's already plenty to look forward to.
11:26It'll be fascinating to see which dancers rise to the occasion, whether the ballroom specialists have the advantage,
11:33or if one of the more unexpected competitors ends up stealing the spotlight.
11:37You are the best I've ever seen in 66 countries.
11:42The queen outspoken.
11:43One thing's for sure, if you've ever found yourself wondering what it takes to make it as a pro,
11:48this is probably going to be a series worth checking out.
11:55Will you be tuning in?
11:56Let us know what your hopes are for the series in the comments.
11:59We'll see you next time.
11:59Check out the reviewers' in the comments.
12:00Committee, please check out our comments.
12:01If you've justfollow 허� πο ark, we make comments.
12:05Check out our comments.
Comments