Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars has been fantastic! So far, the ballroom has delivered exciting theme nights, like Dedication Night and Wicked Night. And now former DWTS pro Maks Chmerkovskiy has a bone to pick with the cast’s newest pro, Jan Ravnik. Apparently, Maks feels that Taylor Swift’s backup dancer lacks proper ballroom technique.
For Season 34, Jan was paired with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck. When the judges gave the duo feedback, they encouraged Jan to give Jen more choreography. So, does Maks have a point about Jan’s ballroom experience?
Maks Chmerkovskiy isn’t happy Jan Ravnik joined Dancing with the Stars
Maks, who retired as a DWTS pro after Season 25, returned in later seasons as a judge. Recently, Maks joined his wife and DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd for her podcast, The Penthouse with Peta. “I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There’s zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership,” he stated.
Then the Bad Boy of Ballroom zeroed in on Jan and Jen’s Wicked Night foxtrot. “He had no idea what foxtrot is supposed to look like. How are you going to expect him to teach it and deliver that message in a format that is completely different from even ballroom dancing?” Maks stated. “Jan, whoever he is, I have zero against him whatsoever. No way, this was a missed opportunity,” he added.
Finally, Peta shared her feelings about Jen’s chances this season with Jan as her pro. “I feel bad because she’s not getting taught the basics that she needs to. She’s not getting taught the base of the dance,” Peta said.
She continued, “He’s a Taylor Swift dancer. It’s the obvious reason why he is hired. Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.” WOW! However, Maks did admit that other pros had been hired who lacked ballroom experience.
Dancing with the Stars Season 34 airs on Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PETA AND MAKS’ COMMENTS ABOUT JAN? ARE THEY BEING TOO HARSH?
