Val Chmerkovskiy Defends Jenna Dewan Amid ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Casting Backlash

Some longtime Dancing With the Stars fans are less than thrilled about actor Jenna Dewan joining the cast because of her history as a professional dancer, and Jenna’s pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy is coming to her defense amid all the backlash.Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Val (who is a ballroom expert and three-time Mirrorball Trophy winner) reiterated that previous dance experience “is all relative.” Especially since Jenna hasn’t danced ballroom before.“First of all, it’s naive to think that this show is just about dance,” Val said. “It’s about the human experience and the human journey and how much you’re willing to reveal yourself. Dance is a vehicle for us to find out more about these people—and I think that’s our advantage.”He then asked fans to “Forget the dancing part,” explaining, “My advantage is that I’m partnered with an incredible human being that I’m excited to showcase and tell stories with and share space with and celebrate as a woman, as a mother, as someone that gets a chance to do what they love again. That’s what I think our advantages are. And I’m excited to celebrate that, hopefully for as long as people are willing to vote for us.”Jenna started her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson—appearing on tour with her, and in the “Doesn’t Really Matter” music video. She also iconically starred in Step Up, which featured a lottttt of dancing.