Dancing With The Stars Trophy Winner Nyle DiMarco

One of the most remarkable dance stories in the last season of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) is the tale of Nyle DiMarco. Born into a deaf family and deaf himself, he’s never heard a sound, never a musical note. Yet this young man exudes a musicality that defies explanation.

In one of my favorites, Nyle dances a romantic and ethereal waltz with pro dancer Sharna Burgess. Sharna wasn’t his regular partner, but in the show’s week five “switch up,” they partnered together, and the two created magic on the dance floor. Nyle’s regular DWTS dance partner Peta Murgatroyd and Sharna are the show’s best female pros, in my view.

It’s a celebratory time for DiMarco: a few months before wining the Mirror Ball trophy, he also won the final series of America’s Next Top Model.

Nyle mastered the dance basics and captured the hearts of the audience with a mix of fearlessness, emotional abandon and vulnerability. Just watch!

DWTS: A Love of Dance

I wasn’t an early fan of Dancing With the Stars (DWTS). Apart from the pros, the show was a mixed bag. But what a surprise when I tuned in again in 2014 season 18 and caught the semi-finals with pro Maks Chmerkovskiy and Olympic skater Meryl Davis. Wow! Those two simply sizzled. Not because of their stellar good looks, but because of the way they moved as one. The dancing and choreography were extraordinary. Only a few dance partnerships have that magic. You know it when you see it: Nureyev and Fonteyn; Maks and Meryl.

After falling under the spell of those two, I was eager to see the following seasons. The first few weeks are typically mediocre, as stars get their footing. But by the semi-finals the talented shine. Pros Mark Ballas and Derek Hough are the choreographers to watch. Some of their dances are so creative, it’s hard to believe it’s just TV and not Broadway.

At the start of the recent season 21, Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter lacked verve, but by the final competition, he emerged as a spirited competitor—and a charismatic dancer. One of my favorites was his salsa trio with pros Sharna Burgess and Peta Murgatroyd. He didn’t win the mirror ball trophy, but he owned that number. Take a look: