'Dancing With the Stars' goes full 'Hair Metal' with mohawks, rock music and guest judge Gene Simmons
Broadway choreographer Lorin Latarro weighs in on how the ballroom handled the rebellious spirit of heavy metal and rock 'n' roll.
Tuesday night’s Dancing With the Stars brought head-banging energy and a sea of mohawks for its “hair metal” theme night, celebrating the power of heavy metal and rock 'n' roll. [Cue: sign of the horns!]
For die-hard rock fans, heavy metal isn’t just music — it’s about rebellion, freedom and living on the edge. While that might seem like a wild fit for the ballroom, Broadway choreographer Lorin Latarro, who is not affiliated with DWTS but is a fan, saw it as an opportunity for the show to break the mold.
“Heavy metal embodies that feeling of being disenfranchised,” she told Yahoo Entertainment. “Whether it’s teenage disenfranchisement or, right now, spending $300 to get groceries feels like disenfranchisement, it’s about anti-establishment in all forms.”
For Latarro, whose Broadway credits include American Idiot, The Who’s Tommy and Waitress, rock’s diverse subgenres — be they heavy metal or punk rock — bring an edgy challenge to the competition.
“It’s so visceral and physical,” she explained of the dance style. “You can take a Viennese waltz, make it staccato, throw your arms into it, add a kick, and it suddenly has a whole new energy. Shaking things up like that keeps dance alive, otherwise it becomes too codified.”
That energy was on full display on Dancing With the Stars.
Leading the pack were Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson, who delivered a standout tango to the Scorpions' “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” earning the highest score of the night with 36.
Others weren’t as lucky. In a double elimination, Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater, along with Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart, were sent home.
Roberts praised his partner, saying, “I have never had a better working experience in my entire professional life,” while VelJohnson, whose recent knee replacement made some moves difficult, expressed his gratitude to Slater, calling her “very special to me.”
Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko, who had been spotted getting cozy earlier in the week, brought undeniable chemistry to the dance floor with a sizzling cha cha to Poison’s “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” complete with a pole dance opener.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson fired up the audience with their paso doble to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” while Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong’s jive to Twisted Sister's “We’re Not Gonna Take It” earned steamy praise from the judges.
“You fogged up my sunglasses!” Simmons told Kinney.
Latarro believes rock music’s ability to channel emotions like joy, frustration and angst gives it its lasting appeal. Translating that into body movement is another story.
“You have to personalize it,” she told Yahoo. “It’s about freedom and letting go. It’s about a feeling you want to get across to viewers so they feel it too.”
At its peak, Latarro said, heavy metal shattered conventions in both sound and style. Iconic moves like headbanging, windmilling, stage diving and crowd surfing became synonymous with the rebellious spirit of rock in the 1980s.
Olympians Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik brought that energy to the dance floor, complete with eyeliner and mullets.
Though Maher’s jive to Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize” with partner Alan Bersten stumbled after a strong start, Nedoroscik’s foxtrot to Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” with Rylee Arnold fared better, scoring 8s across the board.
Phaedra Parks delivered intensity with her paso doble to Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” alongside Val Chmerkovskiy, though she made a few missteps. Also performing the paso doble were Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber, dancing to “The Final Countdown” by Europe, and Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach, who took on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
Though the night was steeped in ’80s nostalgia, Latarro believes there will always be a place for the raw, unfiltered expression that rock music provides.
“Anyone who's been hurt or wants to express themselves uses art for that purpose,” she said. “I think that’s what music does so well.”
Dancing With the Stars returns for its “Dedications” episode Tuesday, Oct. 15, on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
How did the stars perform?
Judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Gene Simmons (guest), Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli
Eric Roberts and pro Britt Stewart: ELIMINATED
Dance: Paso doble
Song: “Cherry Pie" by Warrant
Score: Carrie Ann 6, Gene 6, Derek 5, Bruno 5
Total: 22/40 (total for both nights: 46)
Reginald VelJohnson and pro Emma Slater: ELIMINATED
Dance: Cha cha
Song: “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister
Score: Carrie Ann 6, Gene 5, Derek 5, Bruno 5
Total: 21/40 (total for both nights: 42)
Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson: SAFE
Dance: Tango
Song: “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by the Scorpions
Score: Carrie Ann 9, Gene 9, Derek 9, Bruno 9
Total: 36/40 (total for both nights: 70)
Chandler Kinney and pro Brandon Armstrong: SAFE
Dance: Jive
Song: “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister
Score: Carrie Ann 8, Gene 9, Derek 8, Bruno 8
Total: 33/40 (total for both nights: 69)
Jenn Tran and pro Sasha Farber: SAFE
Dance: Paso doble
Song: “The Final Countdown” by Europe
Score: Carrie Ann 8, Gene 7, Derek 8, Bruno 8
Total: 31/40 (total for both nights: 62)
Ilona Maher and pro Alan Bersten: SAFE
Dance: Jive
Song: “Cum On Feel the Noize” by Quiet Riot
Score: Carrie Ann 7, Gene 7, Derek 6, Bruno 6
Total: 26/40 (total for both nights: 56)
Danny Amendola and pro Witney Carson: SAFE
Dance: Paso doble
Song: “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi
Score: Carrie Ann 7, Gene 9, Derek 7, Bruno 7
Total: 30/40 (total for both nights: 60)
Stephen Nedoroscik and pro Rylee Arnold
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: Song: “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
Score: Carrie Ann 8, Gene 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8
Total: 32/40 (total for both nights: 62)
Phaedra Parks and pro Val Chmerkovskiy: SAFE
Dance: Paso doble
Song: “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
Score: Carrie Ann 7, Gene 5, Derek 7, Bruno 7
Total: 26/40 (total for both nights: 56)
Brooks Nader and pro Gleb Savchenko: SAFE
Dance: Cha cha
Song: “Nothin’ But a Good Time” by Poison
Score: Carrie Ann 8, Gene 9, Derek 8, Bruno 8
Total: 33/40 (total for both nights: 61)
Dwight Howard and pro Daniella Karagach: SAFE
Dance: Paso doble
Song: “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith
Score: Carrie Ann 8, Gene 7, Derek 7, Bruno 7
Total: 29/40 (total for both nights: 52)