Run to the nearest fainting couch everybody, because last night, Dancing With the Stars merrily went where the LGBTQ+ community has been forever, and allowed a same sex couple to dance together. (Oh my!)
JoJo Siwaâwho came out via Twitter in Januaryâperformed a glitter-laden quickstep with Jenna Johnson during the Season 30 premiere. The routine, set to Jetâs âAre You Gonna Be My Girl?â (wink!) was a slice of kicky, hypercolor glee, with Siwa wearing one of her trademark giant bows across her chest. The judges gave the routine the highest score of the night (29 out of 40) which, given Siwaâs extensive dance training, wasnât all that surprising. (Spice Girl Mel C only got 27 out of 40 for a damn-near-perfect cha cha though, so weâll have to assume it was all that gay joy that propelled Siwa and Johnson to the top.)
âThereâs a lot of barriers that weâre going to have to break through,â Siwa said of the upcoming season, speaking at a Television Critics Association event in August. âWho leads, how do you dress, what shoes do you wear? But I think itâs all something that Iâm looking forward to. Itâs going to be tricky, but itâs going to give so much to people out thereâpeople of the LGBTQ community, people who feel just a little different. Itâs going to give them a sense of happiness.â
You can see JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnsonâs routine in full below.
Dancing With the Starsâ British equivalent, Strictly Come Dancing, introduced its first same-sex couple last year when boxer Nicola Adams was paired up with Katya Jones. This year, Strictly will feature its first male couple, Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite dancing with Johannes Radebe. (Whaite declared âI want to have hips like Shakira!â at the partnersâ first meeting.) Donât be surprised if Dancing With the Stars follows suit next year.
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