As audience members found their seats at the Benedum Center for Tuesday night’s “Dancing with the Stars: Live!,” they were treated to upbeat pop tunes like “Move Ya Body” and “Let’s Get It Started.”
The two-hour show — broken into two 50-minute acts with a 20-minute intermission, opened up with Troye Sivan’s hit “Rush,” with all of the professional dancers introduced one-by-one during solos.
The dancers that graced the stage in Downtown Pittsburgh included Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov and Rylee Arnold.
Karagach and Pashkov, who are married, received loud cheers, along with Sosa and Arnold, who are popular on social media.
Penn State University grad Stephen Nedoroscik, known as the “pommel horse guy” following his performance at the Paris Olympic Games, served as the host for the evening. He made it to the finals in the most recent season, but ended up coming in second place with his partner, Arnold.
“A year ago, I would’ve never expected to be in front of a crowd like this,” Nedoroscik said, dressed in a gold suit. “This year has been unbelievable.”
He said his mother told him he couldn’t dance, which almost prevented him from going on the show.
Nedoroscik and Arnold danced — with flips and splits — to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”
After a Star Wars-themed transition displaying the history of 33 years of “Dancing with the Stars,” Karagach and Armstrong danced to “Get Ur Freak On” by Missy Elliot.
Some of the boys danced to Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” and Savchenko and Stewart danced to the sensual tune “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys.
The guys fake-fought over Karagach during the tune “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley before a mashup of Madonna’s “Vogue” and Ariana Grande’s “Yes, And?” featuring Arnold, Sosa and Stewart in all-black outfits with berets.
Some less-exciting numbers in the first act included:
Armstrong and Slater’s “I Love It” by Icona Pop
Karagach and Savchenko’s jazzy take on Britney Spears’ hit “Oops! … I Did It Again”
A partner dance to “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King that featured a stunt by Karagach
Arnold and Bersten’s “Nobody Gets Me” by SZA, while the audience members turned their phone lights on
The theatrics ramped up with a mock Oscars ceremony, crowning Bersten the winner and then transitioning into the 007 James Bond theme that highlighted Savchenko.
This year’s “Live!” show wouldn’t have been complete without showing off Nedoroscik’s pommel horse skills, which he displayed during the “Superman” main theme song.
One of the best dances of the show was Arnold and Armstrong’s ominous dance to Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” With a backdrop of red clouds and lightning imagery, the number featured strong punches and clean lines.
A New York City scene came next, with the men dressed in work jumpsuits sitting atop a metal beam. Slater took the lead in the dance to the song “Cheek To Cheek,” sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
To round out the first act, the cast performed the hand jive, a nod to the musical “Grease.” The number included balloon choreography, school imagery with “DWTS Academy,” pastel outfits and confetti.
The range of song genres in the first act was all over the place, and there seemed to be no semblance of order or theme. However, the second act was more cohesive.
Country songs took up a large portion of the second act, starting with Beyoncé’s “YA YA.” The girls wore sparkly silver cowboy boots and hats, and a desert scene behind them depicted disco balls and cacti.
Nedoroscik played a sheriff, saying the cowboys — the male pros — were on the way. And on the way, they were. The men came down the Benedum’s aisles to “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich and each selected a woman from the audience to come onstage for the “desert dance down.”
Other songs in this portion included “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Travis Tritt, with some classic line-dance steps, “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing” by Chris Isaak (danced by Pashkov and Stewart) and “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton (danced by Savchenko and Slater).
More antics and inside jokes were displayed during the Hogwarts/secret society theme of DWTS Academy, where Sosa was being taught how to be a dance pro. (This past season was his first.)
At the end of the scene, Sosa said he learned “nothing” — a nod to his dance partner con artist Anna Delvey’s one-word response when she was asked what she took away from her experience on season 33. The comment went viral on social media.
Latin-inspired music encompassed the next section of the second act, with “Everything I Can’t Have” by Robin Thicke and Pashkov and Karagach’s duet to “Quimbara” by Celia Cruz.
Cast members danced the rumba to a rendition of “Hotel California” by the Eagles.
Slater told the audience that the rumba is how all of the “showmances” start. “It’s the dance of love — the dance of lust,” she said.
Before the finale, a number of other dances were performed, including:
“It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown, featuring the men in gray suits dancing with Stewart
“Body Language” by Queen as a duet between Arnold and Savchenko
Acoustic version of “Indestructible” by Robyn as a group lyrical number
“Hey Ya!” by OutKast as a lyrical duet between Armstrong and Stewart
In a “Mamma Mia”-esque ending, disco balls descended from the ceiling for the group finale to “Last Dance,” a fitting selection by Donna Summer. Confetti, loud cheers and a standing ovation ended the night of impressive dance moves.
