Dance Review | A Dazzling Evening Dancing with the Stars

The fans  — many of whom were tweens and their moms and most of whom were glittered, spangled, glowing, and overwhelmingly female — were almost as sizzling with excitement as the performers onstage at the Arlington when the Dancing with the Stars Live 2025 tour made its long-awaited stop in Santa Barbara last week. 

A high-energy and suitably bedazzled variety show, the night was filled with dance numbers, as expected, but also with comedic bits, sketches and even some fun audience participation. While the dancing was of far higher quality than the banter, there were fabulously high pitched cheers for each and every element of the April 3rd show. Having watched Dancing with the Stars on TV for years, there’s a certain familiarity and intimacy I felt with the dance pros — which included Alan Bersten, Gleb Savcheko, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, and Kailyn Rogers (substituting for the injured Rylee Arnold) — and the contestants from the recent season, which included actress Chandler Kinney and Olympians Stephen Nedoroscik and Ilona Maher. 

The dancing itself was a combination of duets and group dances that reflect the range of music genres and dance styles featured on the TV show. This included Latin and American ballroom, jazz, contemporary, and everything in between. Oftentimes, the dances were choreographed to meld and fuse several styles into one and it was fun to try to pick out which was which.

For me the standout number was a super spicy salsa starring married pros Pasha and Daniella. They are both great, but Daniella in particular is such a strikingly strong dancer, it’s hard to take your eyes off her when she’s onstage.

I also really liked a full cast version of “Born to Hand Jive” from Grease the Musical, which cleverly incorporated balloons into the choreography, and a jazzy version of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” which spotlighted Britt along with Alan, Ezra, Brandon, and Pasha. 

And of course the contestants, particularly Ilona, added their own vibrant personalities and styles to the mix — a big part of what makes the TV show and the live tour so unique. Her dancing on “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” was spunky and sparky and so charming. Ilona and Alan (her partner during the season) also did a particularly fun version of “The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing. The Rugby superstar has ridden her Olympic fame for all its worth. She’s such a genuine role model for so many people, the world really is her oyster now and I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next. 

Stephen, the other Olympian, did some fun tricks on the pommel horse in a Superman themed routine, but without his partner from the show (the injured Rylee), he didn’t get nearly the same showcase the other contestants did. 

The evening’s final number, a disco mashup with the entire cast, brought the audience to its feet and a thundering round of applause for what was ultimately, a really fun night.