Qulture Magazine

Words & Photos: Amy Whitley

The Dancing With The Stars Tour hits cities all across the US starring some of their pro dancers and guest stars. Attending San Diego’s show on April 22nd, 2026 was an incredible experience.

Being a VIP for the night gave me a whole new experience of the show. We started off by interacting with cast members in a pre-show game hosted by Alan Bersten.  Charades was the game and the cast was split into two teams. Whoever guessed the movie correctly first won that point with the VIP audience members help in acting out the movie name.

After the game show normally they go right into a cast photo op for each VIP member, but Robert Irwin, Witney Carson, and Jordan Chiles were coming back from Los Angeles so they held the photo op until after the show. Robert Irwin was in Los Angeles announcing his role of hosting “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” premiering on July 13th.

As the lights began to dim the audience cheered with joy ready to immerse themselves in the rhythm of dancing. The stage lit up as part of the cast started off the show dancing their hearts away on the stage.

Then as Robert Irwin and Witney Carson (Season 34 Mirrorball Champions) came out the crowd screamed so loud from excitement. You could tell that Robert Irwin was a fan favorite, and I must admit, mine too! In the middle of the performance they brought one lucky audience member on stage for their “DWTS Technique Enforcement Agency” moment. It was a lot of fun to watch a fan dance with the cast.

Ezra Sosa and Hailey Bills sign of the night during their dance was “Welcome to DWTS Maura + Ciara!” for Maura Higgins from Love Island and Ciara Miller from Summer House. They are the first two celebrities who will join Dancing With The Stars Season 35. How exciting!

From jaw dropping tricks, clean technique, and lively music, the performance was a blast! I could tell each cast member truly has a passion to dance and perform. From Ezra Sosa waving to fans to Jordan Chiles jumping over Ezra Sosa to Robert Irwin flipping off of Witney Carson’s back, the performances were electric! There were even a couple of moments where confetti went flying into the audience!

Sadly the performance had to come to an end after two outstanding hours as well as an intermission, but as a VIP we then headed to our cast photo op. Although I will admit it was very fast to take your two photos, the whole cast was very happy to see their fans and tried to interact as fast as they could.

Overall, Dancing With The Stars Live! is a must see show! The cast has amazing energy and so much talent. Don’t miss their first Dancing With The Stars convention from July 31st-August 2nd, 2026 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs.