This year, Her Campus at UCLA had the pleasure of attending the Dancing With the Stars panel at Vulture Festival, which is one of the most interactive pop culture and entertainment festivals in Los Angeles. This two-day event took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and featured a variety of celebrity panels and screenings, alongside some fantastic dance tutorials from this season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars.
The Dancing With the Stars panel featured all six finalist couples from the show’s 30th season, including Jojo Siwa and her pro partner Jenna Johnson, Amanda Kloots and pro Alan Bersten, Cody Rigsby and pro Cheryl Burke, Iman Shumpert and pro Daniella Karagach, and Melora Hardin and pro Artem Chigvintsev. Delving into topics like self-doubt and overcoming challenges, it was clear that each of the dance couples shares amazing chemistry and friendship that is sure to remain long after the season’s end.
Each dance couple came up on stage to discuss their experiences on Dancing With the Stars thus far and then led a short dance tutorial for audience members to carry with them outside of the Vulture Festival. We had an absolute blast laughing at our poor hand-eye coordination while learning a two-step jive from former cast member of The Office, Melora Hardin.
Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby and his dance partner Cheryl Burek began the panel by discussing their love for Britney Spears and her recent claim to freedom from her conservatorship. With the outpouring of support from the #FreeBritney campaign, Cody agreed that it was really “great to see [Britney] going from this really dark moment to her autonomy”. In short, who doesn’t love Britney Spears?
Dance couples Amanda and Allen, and Jojo and Jenna, later shared their extensive, albeit hilarious, pre-show rituals. Former New York Rockette Amanda and pro dancer Allen do a TikTok every Sunday in preparation for the show in matching tracksuits. Meanwhile, Jojo and Jenna stick to an ultra-complex, and might I say hardcore, ritual of ordering boba, making a TikTok together, doing a circuit of 3-minute planks and 15 pushups and multiple speed-runs through their choreography.
This particular season was groundbreaking, with Iman Shumpert being one of the first NBA players to reach the finals and Nickolodeon sensation Jojo Siwa being the first competitor to have a same-gender dance partner. When asked the thought behind her courageous decision, Jojo’s answer was simple: “There was no answer for me besides yes…two girls can dance together, why not?”
Day one of Vulture Festival, all in all, was an enticing and intriguing experience where each panel discussion felt like a chat with old friends. The dance couples from Dancing With the Stars weren’t afraid to be authentic, relatable human beings with the audience. These natural and amusing interactions with the audience made us even more excited to continue watching the show. We’re all looking forward to seeing what comes next on Dancing With the Stars!