Dancing With the Stars Season 34 is shaking things up with new pros, troupe dancers and celebrity contestants hitting the ballroom for the premiere on September 16. Here’s everything fans need to know before the first twirl.
Change in Pros
One exciting new pro is Jan Ravnik, joining the show after performing on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. And while some fans were worried Sasha Farber might be stepping away entirely after not being cast with a celebrity this season—following his brief romance with Jenn Tran last season—ABC has confirmed that Sasha will still have a major role.
“Ready for more behind the scenes?” the Dancing With the Stars Instagram caption read on Sept. 15. “We’re going LIVE on TikTok with @sashafarber1 TOMORROW to celebrate the #DWTS Premiere!” Sasha himself added, alongside heart-eyed emojis, “Can’t wait to showwwwww you guys around the ballroom and take you backstage !!!!!!!!!”
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Season 34 New Troupe Dancers
Season 34 also welcomes four new troupe members: Hailey Bills, Onye Stevenson, Carter Williams and Jaxon Willard. Troupe dancers perform in group numbers and as background dancers but aren’t paired with celebrity contestants.
Bills, niece of two-time DWTS champion Jenna Johnson, previously competed as a pro on DWTS: Juniors in 2018. A two-time national champion at The Dance Awards, she has toured with Derek Hough’s Holiday Tour and recently completed her freshman year at Brigham Young University.
Stevenson, a graduate of USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, trained in contemporary, jazz, modern, hip-hop, tap, ballet and Latin ballroom. She’s worked with choreographers including Kyle Abraham and Jiří Kylián and has also toured with Hough.
Williams, also from Utah, was a top-six finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Season 17 and has appeared on World of Dance and America’s Got Talent. A four-time World Latin Finalist and two-time National Latin Champion, he’s also a member of the Weber State University dance team.
Willard debuted on NBC’s World of Dance in 2018, finishing third in the Junior Divisional Final. He’s performed with Madonna, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and FKA Twigs and appeared in Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In 2023, he performed in Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show and Savage X Fenty show.
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Season 34 Celebrity Cast
Season 34’s celebrity contestants include:
Hilaria Baldwin with pro Gleb Savchenko
Corey Feldman with Jenna Johnson
Jordan Chiles with Ezra Sosa
Danielle Fishel with Pasha Pashkov
Alix Earle with Val Chmerkovskiy
Robert Irwin with Witney Carson
Andy Richter with Emma Slater
Baron Davis with Britt Stewart
Dylan Efron with Daniella Karagach
Elaine Hendrix with Alan Bersten
Jen Affleckwith Jan Ravnik
Lauren Jauregui with Brandon Armstrong
Scott Hoying with Rylee Arnold
Whitney Leavitt with Mark Ballas
Dancing With the Stars Season 34 premieres Tuesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
