“I wasn’t nervous going out onto the floor,” Jenna told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “I was just more nervous about the fact that it is so different and so new for our audience, for us, for me, for her. So, I just wanted to do exactly what we had practiced because we had nailed it and we felt so confident in our dance. But, again, I feel like that stage is my home and so walking out onto the floor it felt right, I felt at peace, and I was just more excited to dance.” Jenna, who was first approached with the idea of dancing with a female partner before she knew who it would be, said her immediate reaction without even thinking about it was, “Yes, of course,” but then she began to think about what she had signed herself up for. “When I met JoJo, all of those nerves and hesitations went away because of how absolutely amazing she is,” Jenna continued. “She’s full of life, full of energy, full of positivity, and it is such a joy to be able to work and dance with her every day.” Just as they nailed their quickstep in rehearsals, they also did for their performance because they were awarded the highest score of the night: 29 points out of 40 from judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough, despite a slight slip on Jenna’s part, when she became tangled in their skirts. “We realized that when two girls are dancing and you both have long skirts that could lead to some dangerous moments,” Jenna explained. “I slipped, kind of tweaked my knee but I’m totally fine.” Luckily, the show always has physical therapists on-site, so Jenna didn’t lose any time and was able to get back to rehearsals the next day. “After the show, I worked with the physical therapist a little bit and have just been taking care of my body,” she continued. “I mean, I have to. I feel so old with JoJo! She’s an 18-year-old body, she can dance all day and is never sore. I’ve never felt so old as I have this season.” The judges seemed to be easygoing as far as scores and criticisms on night one. I think everyone is excited for it being season 30. And, quite honestly, I feel like there are so many incredible contestants this season that they didn’t really have to slaughter anyone because everyone was just at such a high level already. Now that you’ve made history what does it feel like? I don’t know. Honestly, it’s crazy because I thought there was going to be a lot more controversy with this whole thing, I guess. From our week one dance, JoJo and I—and we spoke about this today, have received just an outpouring of support and love and excitement revolving around it. It has been so encouraging. I’m like, “Why did we wait this long to do this?” I think we all were ready for this. It’s been awesome. How supportive is Val? Val loves it. Val always loves being different and standing out and doing something scary. And so, when I first told him I was asked if I would dance with a female, he was like, “You should do it.” There was no hesitation in his mind. He’s a big fan of JoJo; they have a really funny, fun relationship. So, he’s very excited about the whole thing. Are there any accommodations you need to make in your choreography? Anything you have to change having a female partner? I honestly have the expectations for myself and JoJo that we’re going to do exactly what everybody else is doing and what I would naturally or normally do with a male partner. Obviously, we have to get creative with a few things because it is different: we’re both dancing in heels. So, it’s just being creative with it. Honestly, that has been the biggest thing that’s different I would say. But so far, I feel like we can do whatever I would do with one of my previous partners. I didn’t realize how tall JoJo was until I saw you together. So, does that mean she has to lead because of her height? Not necessarily, but it does make it easier because she is taller than me. It’s been funny because we’ve had to experiment and so far, she’s felt more comfortable doing the guy’s part or doing the lead part. So, we’ll see if we decide to switch things up. I would love to, to just keep it interesting. But, yeah, and we’ve talked about this, too, but I think we just have to take it dance by dance and week by week and see what the dance is telling us to do. How good a ballroom dancer is she since she already does have some dance training but a different genre? Obviously, when she was younger, she definitely danced and had training. I think that is so awesome to have a foundation. But there is no ballroom repertoire in her. So, all of this is very new. Added on top, partnering is very new. She’s never partnered with a guy, or with a girl. And then to be with a girl on top of that adds another layer. But she is such a wonderful student. She reminds me of my 18-year-old self in the sense that she’s a perfectionist, she loves working hard, she hates making excuses. And so, I think we really have a great work ethic together and just understanding of one another. You won season 26, so you know what it feels like. Do you think you and JoJo have a chance? I haven’t really gotten that far. I feel like because this is such a different season for me, I really want to just be focused in the moment. Obviously, that feeling [winning] is the greatest feeling in the world and such an incredible accomplishment, so I would love to revisit that feeling. But I have no expectations for us other than breaking boundaries, creating moments and making history. Here we are season 30, we have four judges on the panel now that Len is back. How is that? I love it. I actually really missed Len last season. I thought Derek was one of the greatest things to ever happen to the judging panel. He gets where the dancers are coming from and he knows firsthand what we’re experiencing throughout the week and throughout the season. I really missed Len because you need that person to keep you humble, and Len definitely does that. Also, Carrie Ann and Bruno are just the greatest and a staple for the show, so I love having the four judges. You’ve been doing this several years now, you started out in the troupe, and then you moved on to be a partner. What’s the best thing that has come out of Dancing with The Stars for you? Or maybe it’s meeting Val, not even anything from dancing? Obviously, it’s a big perk that I met my husband on the show. But I think that this is the best show for dancers to be hired on as a dancer. It’s such an elevated experience and dance really gets to shine through on this show. So, to be a dancer and to be able to have a career because of this show as a dancer, it’s a dream come true honestly. I grew up watching the show, I dreamed of being on the show, but I never thought it would be my reality. So, I’ve been really fortunate to be on as long as I have, since season 18. It just gets better and better. A dancer’s life is relatively short, but on this show, you do your own choreography, which could open doors. Where do you see yourself going? Are you going to open your own studio? Do you think you’re going to try to get choreography jobs on other shows? I do love teaching. My husband and I work on a convention for kids called 24 Seven Dance Convention. I love doing that on the weekends. I don’t think I have any interest in being a studio owner, but I would hope to continue in the choreography task and explore choreographing for movies, TV shows and music videos. Mandy Moore, who is a choreographer for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, is one of my greatest mentors. She has a career that I would dream to have. She’s the hottest choreographer in the business right now and I really respect her work and feel like I’ve learned a lot from her. I’d love to go in that direction maybe, but I also would love to continue my career as an artist. I’d love to do Broadway; I’d love to transition into some acting. Unfortunately, because of the show, I haven’t had time to explore those realms yet, but those are something I’m really, really passionate about doing so I’d love to do that in the near future. This is the 30th season. Why do you think the show still finds an audience? We are on season 30 and many generations have watched this show. I just think it’s timeless and ABC does such a great job of casting it and staying true to itself after all of these years of being on television. Dancing with the Stars airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Next, Who Is Dancing With the Stars Celeb Contestant JoJo Siwa Dating?
