“History just happened on dancing with the stars for the first time ever”
Half a decade ago, Jojo Siwa emerged as a glittery, bow-wearing diva that beat to the sound of her own drum. Since her start on the famous reality show, Dance Moms, Siwa has grown into a personal brand. Among her endeavors, includes a newly released movie and upcoming world tour. At the moment, the super-star is making history, returning to her dance competition roots as the first ever same-sex dance partnership on the hit TV series, Dancing with the Stars.
Earlier this year, Jojo came out to the world as a member of the LGBTQ community by posting a Tik Tok- lip synching to lady Gaga’s Born this Way- that immediately went viral.
For the first time in the show’s history, Siwa was given the choice of having a female dance partner- the answer was obviously yes.
Jojo Siwa: immediately i knew for myself I’d be way more comfortable with a girl 0:30, “I am dancing with another female and I’m really really proud”
Pro-Dancer Jenna Johnson, has the honor of dancing alongside Siwa and the two are making waves!
“I have a chance right now to make history and to break down a barrier and there’s nothing that I would rather do than that,” (0:50 Johnson) “And it is so fun to see the different twists on ballroom”
The pair’s performance from week two, to the song “Rain on Me” garnered over 1.2 million views in a week, more than any other DWTS duo. As the weeks go on, Jojo is bringing more star-power to the table, Making the mirror ball trophy that much closer.
More important than a big, shiny, trophy, is the cultural changes Siwa and Johnson are sharing with the dance community. From its inception, ballroom dance has been highly gendered. The male usually takes the lead as the female is instructed to follow.
Lennon Torres, agrees. She’s an alum of the USC’s Kaufman school of Dance and has encountered hurdles surrounding her own gender presentation in this industry.
Lennon Torres: The dance industry, although a lot more welcoming than a lot of industries, can be really toxic because of the emphasis on, you know, the individual’s body and the roles that they’re dancing in the expectation that different audience members have for the people on stage.
Obviously, there are a lot of barriers that have to be broken and many questions that have to be answered. Who leads? What shoes should be worn? How do you hold each other?
The answers to those and other questions come with time and practice, practice, practice.
But the questions related to gender and sexual presentation don’t stop at television broadcasts, they need to span every studio in the country. Torres founded Continuum Community to do just that.
The Kaufman alum says that after a lot of re-working curriculum.
Lennon Torres: Kaufman is doing a really remarkable job of trying to figure out a way to respect the past and respect the traditions and respect the way historically things have been done, but also. Pushing forward and figuring out a way to make it a safe space for as many people as possible.
Not only is change happening on the big screen, it is right in our backyard. Though It may have taken decades for change to happen it is important to notice that we, the younger generation are acting as the catalyst for change and that movement needs to keep going.
It is not that gender and sexuality need to be at the forefront of dance, in fact the opposite may be true to have the most effective representation.
Lennon Torres: They’re just going to watch it every Monday night and just see a same sex couple on there. And a lot of the time, it’s not even the focal point of conversation. It’s just what it is. You know, it doesn’t have to be this big deal. I think it’s just great that it’s happening.
I couldn’t say it better myself, having Jojo’s presence, bedazzled to the nines, wearing whatever makes her comfortable- whether it’s a pair of pants or a studded skirt- will inevitably change the perceptions of the dance world.