Everybody Loves Britt Stewart. So What Happened?

The show has exploded in recent seasons, thanks in part to social media. Stars are clamoring to compete, while TikTokers and Redditors obsess over the lore of the pros, dissecting partnerships, and building worlds around people they technically don’t know. Does that intimacy ever feel overwhelming?
Social media has been a blessing. It’s part of the reason the show is at such a high level of success and keeps building momentum. We’re able to showcase ourselves and our partnerships outside of what you see every Tuesday and really build community. To see the love and support for the pros has been amazing. We are the show’s constant, so to see fans show us that support is something none of us take for granted. But you have to have boundaries or the negative can start to outweigh the light.

Dance has always had its pop-culture ebbs and flows. Dirty Dancing sparked a dance craze; then came the Lambada and, in the late ’90s, swing dancing. Could DWTS inspire another generation to dance?
I was talking about this the other day: Dance does tend to have ebbs and flows in pop culture, even earlier. Think of the eras of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Cyd Charisse. Dance was prevalent; it was everywhere. Then in the ’70s, with John Travolta and all that.

We hadn’t really had dance be super mainstream since the ’90s, like you said, and then High School Musical happened, followed by Teen Beach, the Step Up series, and Glee. Music and dance came back into pop culture. And we’re now in a time when dance is kind of fading—except for Dancing With the Stars.

The show is practically educating a nation about dance, from the terminology to the technique. Just this season, I learned about what makes a proper Cucarache and the appropriate speed of a Viennese Waltz. If it gets people, especially kids, interested in dancing again, that’s a meaningful cultural impact.
Oh my gosh, I’m so proud. Look at you, saying ‘Cucarachas’ and ‘Viennese waltz.’ But you’re right. The show highlights dance in such a beautiful way. It’s the artistry, the craft, the athleticism, but it’s also really special that you get to see us dancers as humans. You really get to see who we are and the lives that we live. That’s been really special to be a part of.