2^0 + 2^5 (20 Years of Pros)
- Jordan
- Jun 21
- 12 min read
Updated: Jul 18
We focused on the stars. Now let's focus on the pros! In this entry of "2^0 + 2^5," I come to display the professional dancers that guide the stars to ballroom glory. All those that have served their time on the wooden floor to appease the audiences into watching the struggle turn into breakthrough (or more struggle depending on the star).
Teaching them how to bachata, properly hold frame, and not fall on their ass (though some still manage to do so otherwise) are just some of the things the pros teach their celebrities. While they started off as mere instructors when the show first began, they quickly become celebrities themselves over the course of time. With as much interest into who they're fucking off the floor as they were with who they're grinding on the floor (like there was a difference), it became apparent that the pros do bring a magic to the show that liven up the camaraderie between the audience and the performers.
With a total of 51 pros spanning across 20 years of Dancing with the Stars per this blog series' timeframe, I present all of them to you with great avail. I split them up into different eras as finite as I personally felt was right so that the information can be digested easily. Be weary though that, despite me splitting them up into finite sections, the eras can blend in together given the nature of the timelines for when pros dip in and out of the show.
Era 1
The first era includes the six original pros that were on the first season alongside pros that were added on in the next few seasons afterward. The largest group among the four eras that I divided them up by, the first era consists of many world class champions in the competitive circuit that were brought to the show because the show didn't really know where to begin with in finding talent, so they looked up the best of the best and called them to see if they'd be willing to be a part of the show. The first few seasons had various swaps between the pros due to desire to participate back in the competitive circuit and necessity to fill the quota from the show's fluctuating size in participants. With a large wealth of experience (and titles) behind them, the first era brought a lot of creditability to the show that they could lean on to justify the show's premise.
20 out of 51 pros I considered to be in era 1. They are as follows:
Louis van Amstel - An original pro, Louis van Amstel brought a lot of the pros to the show after he was contacted. Daunting long locks in the first season with a pompous attitude, he would chop them off the following season and would come in-and-out over the course of the first 15 seasons before sporadically re-appearing in season 21 and season 31. Louis also partook as a judge for the Netherlands' version of Dancing with the Stars.
Ashly DelGrosso - An original pro with training in ballet and jazz alongside ballroom, Ashly competed in the first three seasons and season 10 with the "all-American" persona that wasn't afraid to firmly lash out when need be. Being the first pro to dance on the show as well as being the pro that got the lowest score within the 20-year timespan (8 with Master P), Ashly also danced with long-time host Tom Bergeron in an extra segment for the viewers to enjoy.
Edyta Śliwińska - The slithering leg-warmer wearing seductress, Edyta is an original pro and the only one out of the six originals to consecutively compete in the show's first ten seasons (appearing once again 12 seasons later in season 22).
Alec Mazo - An original pro that won the show's first season before sporadically popping in-and-out seasons up until season 9. He also participated in the first season's "Dance-Off" rematch to defend his title with winning partner Kelly Monaco only for them to lose at the end.
Jonathan Roberts - A very tall original pro that partook in athletics before transitioning into ballroom dancing, Jonathan competed in-and-out among the first nine seasons. With a gentleman touch (and a hairy chest), Jonathan was seen as a nicer pro that could accommodate to the likes of the stars he's given with chivalry.
Charlotte Jørgensen - An original pro characterized by her elegance that only competed on the show's first season. Dancing with John O'Hurley, the two competed in the subsequent "Dance-Off" rematch after losing the final and won.
Andrea Hale - A pro that only competed in season 2 with Kenny Mayne (who bombed and did many segments for the show after...outlasting her in appearances on the show).
Nick Kosovich: An Australian pro that did two seasons (season 2 and season 3), Nick was part of the wardrobe team during season 1 and was even considered as a judge in that same season. He also appeared in season 9 to help with that season's "Megamix" challenge.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy - A pro highly known for being a bad boy with a harsh teaching style and dominant persona. Declining to do the first season, Maksim would join during the second season and partake in over 15 seasons afterward (with his last one being season 25). Maksim also partook in judging duties in the Indian and Ukrainian versions of Dancing with the Stars.
Tony Dovolani - A pro who's supposed bad boy persona in the beginning was overridden with the characteristics of a gentleman shortly after. Tony has done 21 seasons consecutively between seasons 2 and 23. Much like Maksim, Tony had opted out in doing the first season after being asked.
Cheryl Burke - A short pro with a beyond extra feisty as fuck mouth, Cheryl started in season 2 and has done the most seasons out of everyone within the 20-year timespan with 26 (winning back-to-back her first two seasons). She also partook in the Juniors spin-off as a coach.
Anna Trebunskaya - A red-headed pro who was initially commissioned for the first season before her partner Thomas Calabro dropped out, Anna started out in the second season and was in-and-out between season 2 and season 8 before consecutively appearing between seasons 9 and 15 and then appearing again in season 21.
Kym Johnson - An Australian pro that was extracted from the Australian version of the show, Kym competed in 15 seasons and was often paired with older men in attempts to turn them into leading ballroom dancers. Aside from being a pro in the Australian version, she has also been a judge for that series.
Karina Smirnoff - A pro that started in the third season of the show, Karina competed up until season 22 (with breaks on season 10 and season 20).
Jessie DeSoto - A pro that only competed on the third season. Though he signed a multi-season deal from jump, he abridged his deal in order to take care of his ailing father.
Elena Grinenko - A pro that competed on seasons 3 and 4 of the show (being paired with Tucker Carlson and Clyde Drexler).
Brian Fortuna - A pro that was on season 4 of the show before being extracted to its British counterpart Strictly Come Dancing.
Julianne Hough - A pro who appeared on five seasons of the show (starting with season 4) that has also filled the roles of judge and co-host in later seasons.
Derek Hough - Julianne's brother who is the most decorated pro with six titles to his name. Starting as a pro in season 5, Derek has also been a part of the judging panel (often doing a large thunderous shuffle clap when he finds routines to be executed tremendously).
Mark Ballas - A pro with funky flair that would suspiciously get younger partners capable of doing a lot. He first appeared on the fifth season.
Era 2
The second era of pros were of people I considered to be sprinkled in at the discretionary of the show as potential mainstays when the first era was prevailing through in becoming the main core of pros to select from. Most of these pros only lasted a couple of seasons at most.
11 out of 51 pros I considered to be in era 2. They are as follows:
Fabian Sanchez - A pro with comedic sass brought in on season 6.
Lacey Schwimmer - A highly skilled West Coast Swing dancer that was drafted from fellow competitive dance show So You Think You Can Dance, Lacey was drafted on the show in season 7 and was dubbed as someone with a rebellious spirit.
Corky Ballas - Mark's dad who would be brought in when there were really really elderly contestants on the show. He also aided guidance for season 8's group dance.
Inna Brayer - A pro brought in on season 7. Inna also appeared as a coach a few seasons later on season 10 for a separate college ballroom dance competition that was hosted on the show.
Dmitry Chaplin - A pro drafted from So You Think You Can Dance whose enunciation skills were more fluent by the time he was placed on Dancing with the Stars. Originally paired with Jewel on his first season, she broke her tibiae before the first show and was replaced by Holly Madison as a result.
Chelsie Hightower - A pro drafted from So You Think You Can Dance that had competed from season 8 to season 15 (except for season 13) whose cutlets have been seen falling out during rehearsals.
Anna Demidova - A pro drafted to season 9 after partaking in a smaller competition the season before where the winner got to become a pro for the show.
Damian Whitewood - An Australian pro who competed in season 10 before becoming a pro in the Australian version of the show. Damian's introduction as a pro to the American version stemmed from his participation as part of the ensemble for the Broadway production Burn the Floor.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy - Maksim's brother who had previously appeared many times on the show in different aspects before becoming a pro himself on season 13. Compared to Maksim, Valentin's persona is suave with debatably pretty boy swag that has little effect on his partners. Beyond the main series, Valentin was a judge in the Juniors spin-off.
Peta Murgatroyd - A New Zealand-born Australian pro who originally started on the show's first troupe before becoming a pro on season 13 and winning a trophy the following season. She had appeared on the show prior to her inclusion when the Broadway production Burn the Floor performed for the masses.
Tristan MacManus - An Irish pro who started on the show's first troupe before becoming a pro on season 13. Overseas, he has been a pro on Strictly Come Dancing and a judge on Australia's Dancing with the Stars.
Era 3
The third era of pros were of people I considered to come in at a time when the show added more production value to the dance numbers the celebrity contestants performed to. The majority of these pros debuted directly or a few seasons after an all-stars season that happened in 2012 (season 15).
11 out of 51 pros I considered to be in era 3. They are as follows:
Lindsay Arnold - A pro drafted from So You Think You Can Dance in season 16 before being put on the show's troupe for a couple seasons and then re-emerging back as a pro in season 21 and many seasons afterward. Prior to her being a pro, Lindsay has appeared on the show in other capacities including as a contestant for a sub-series titled "Ballroom Battles" in season 14. She was also a coach for the Juniors spin-off for her younger sister Rylee (who was a pro in said spin-off).
Witney Carson - A pro drafted from So You Think You Can Dance that initially started out on troupe before being put into pro status on season 18. Much like Lindsay, Witney had been on the show prior to her debut and was also a part of the Juniors spin-off as a coach.
Sharna Burgess - An Australian pro often seen with not-natural red hair that started out as a troupe member before being put as a pro on season 16. Sharna's also been a judge in Australia's version of the show and was in kahoots in potentially becoming a pro earlier in America than when she officially joined the show via a results show performance she partook in.
Sasha Farber - An Australian pro with a gymnastics edge that started out as a troupe member before being put as a pro on season 17 (coming in-and-out as troupe member and pro overtime), Sasha had also been a pro way back when in the Australian version of the show when Kym Johnson was also a pro. In addition, he partook in the Juniors spin-off as a coach and made a guest pro appearance on India's version of the show when they had dancers from other countries participate on their turf. He also likes to pull pranks on contestants and other pros alike.
Gleb Savchenko - A pro that started out in season 16 and was put on the show's troupe the following season before re-emerging as a pro on season 23. Gleb has also been a pro on multiple iterations of the show overseas (including the Russian version and the Australian version) and had a coaching position for the Juniors spin-off.
Emma Slater - An Australian pro that started out on troupe before being put into pro status on season 17. Between the 20-year time span, Emma has consecutively been a pro since her debut aside from season 22. She also took part in the Juniors spin-off as a coach and as a guest pro in Indian's version of the show during an international switch-up week.
Tyne Stecklein - A pro with a contemporary background that competed on season 17 (with Bill Nye). Tyne had previously appeared on the show as a performer for different numbers across various seasons.
Henry Byalikov - An Australian pro from season 18 that was originally on the troupe (though he was placed back on troupe after said season). In Australia, Henry's been a pro on their version of the show and was also a former contestant on its version of So You Think You Can Dance. Henry was originally commissioned to be a pro many seasons before he joined the show as a troupe member, but his partner backed out before the season started.
Artem Chigvintsev - A pro that was previously a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance who was brought in as a troupe member on season 18 and then as a pro the following season (coming in as a champion from a tenure at Strictly Come Dancing shortly before). Artem had previously appeared on the show as a performer for different segments (including a performance advertising the show's Las Vegas tour in 2012). Artem also took part in the Juniors spin-off as a coach.
Allison Holker - A pro with a contemporary background that was previously a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. First brought in on season 19, Allison had previously performed on the show prior to her becoming a pro.
Keo Motsepe - A pro who's a prince in a small part of South Africa first brought in on season 19, Keo also took part in the troupe in season 23 and was a coach in the Juniors spin-off.
Era 4
The last era to present based on this blog series' timeframe, this set of pros is bound to morph and change overtime into larger or smaller groups depending on how the show evolves past 20 years. However, for the purpose of this series (and because I am obsessed with keeping things evergreen), I'm sticking to this. A general overarching theme amidst pros from this era more so than the others eras is their range in executing multiple styles of dance beyond ballroom.
9 out of 51 pros I considered to be in era 4. They are as follows:
Jenna Johnson - A pro with stints as a troupe member and had performed on Dancing with the Stars in the past who had also been a former So You Think You Can Dance contestant. Jenna also was a part of the Juniors spin-off as a coach and was the first pro to be paired with a partner not of the opposite gender (JoJo Siwa).
Alan Bersten - A former So You Think You Can Dance contestant that was brought into pro status in season 25 after previously being brought in for troupe. Alan was also a coach on the Juniors spin-off (winning with his team of Sky Brown and JT Church)
Brandon Armstrong - A pro brought in on season 27. Brandon had taken part in various segments on Dancing with the Stars over the 20-year timespan before becoming a pro including a stint as a troupe member and a competitor in mini-competitions hosted on Dancing with the Stars in his younger years (such as "Ballroom Battles" with Lindsay). Around the time he was transitioned into pro status, Brandon was also on the Juniors spin-off as a coach.
Pasha Pashkov - A pro brought in on season 28. He initially auditioned to be a pro previously before successfully getting on in 2019.
Daniella Karagach - A pro brought in on season 28 as part of the pro lineup (though she didn't have a partner until the following season). She initially auditioned to be a pro with Pasha previously before the two successfully got on in 2019.
Britt Stewart - A pro with a contemporary background that was brought in as a troupe member before being put into pro status on season 29. Britt had previously appeared as a performer during an artist performance on a results show in season 11.
Koko Iwasaki - A former So You Think You Can Dance contestant that was first brought in on season 31.
Rylee Arnold - Lindsay's sister that was a pro on the Juniors spin-off.
Ezra Sosa - A former So You Think You Can Dance contestant that started out as an extra dancer on season 30 before becoming a pro in season 33.
And there you have it! So many pros, so many years, and so much more to discuss. I'll catch you in the next post where I'll be breaking down the many dance styles the show has offered throughout the years. From samba to salsa to...Hip Hop? Sure thing! Ciao for now!
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