Though it goes without saying, television is totally overrun with reality shows at the moment of all different kinds.
For the most part, a lot of these shows are talent shows. The entire wave seems to have started with American Idol, though it has since expanded to other shows such as America’s Got Talent and The Voice.
Still, sometimes just singing isn’t enough—and for that, there are shows that focus on dancing exclusively.
Of all of these, the most prominent is Dancing With The Stars.
The show started in 2005 and has remained popular ever since.
For those who are unfamiliar, the show pairs celebrities with professional dancers. As it continues, each pair competes against other pairs to win the most votes from the judges and from the audience.
As the show proceeds, contestants are gradually eliminated until only a few remain. In that sense, the show is not all that different from many other competition shows. Still, the performances are often exciting and innovative as the show proceeds into the later rounds.
And the performance we’re talking about today is no different.
The dance took place on the show’s 23rd season and featured James Hinchcliffe and Jenna Johnson.
As the clip begins, Johnson can be seen laying on her back in a rotating cage that keeps spinning around. Before long, it cuts to Hinchcliffe who’s fully dressed up as the Joker—and Johnson is Harley Quinn!
The song playing in the background is “You Don’t Own Me” by Grace. A moment later, Hinchcliffe waltzes up to the cage that Johnson is in and sets her free.
Before long, they’re waltzing smoothly across the dance floor.
Though the drama of breaking Harley Quinn out was the first step of the story, things are only getting started.
In the Batman comics, these two characters are known for having a particularly intense and particularly toxic relationship.
The best thing about this performance is that although it’s beautiful and graceful, it also captures that tension perfectly! Though it’s smoothly choreographed and smooth, it also has a few edges of sharpness and unexpected turns throughout.
In the middle, the two do a couple striking poses—and Johnson even does a vertical split.
Towards the end, the two keep waltzing around doing their dangerous balance.
As they get to the final few moves, the guards from the beginning start to surround them again.
Still, right as they look like they’re about to close in, the Joker and Harley both swing their fists backwards and knock them out as a final stroke in a great routine. After that, they stare into each other’s eyes, lost in their own world.
When it’s all finally over, the audience gives them a huge round of applause!
Since the clip was loaded online, it has earned itself some 20 million views—and it’s easy to see why.
Although the show has seen its fair share of great performances, there’s something about the costuming and the drama of this one that makes it seem like a cut above.
As performances like this one show perfectly, dancing is way more than just deliberate or fancy physical movements. It is its own form of narrative and storytelling—and these two did it perfectly!
Congratulations to James Hinchcliffe and Jenna Johnson on their awesome performance! Be sure to watch the whole thing in the link below:
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