Dancing with the Stars 2024 Dedication Night featuring former pro Mark Ballas as guest judge. See all the Dance Styles and Song Choices
On Dedication Night, the nine remaining couples on Dancing with the Stars step onto the ballroom to honor people, causes and institutions that have shaped their lives. Each couple delivers an emotional performance built around a dedication, giving viewers a deeper connection to the routines beyond technical skill. Former professional dancer and choreographer Mark Ballas joins the panel as a special guest judge, lending his experience and fresh perspective to the scoring and critiques.
This themed evening gives the celebrities and their professional partners a chance to translate personal stories into movement. In addition to the guest judge, the regular panel—Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough—provides commentary and scoring. Derek Hough and Hayley Hough will share a particularly moving moment with a celebratory routine marking Hayley’s return to the ballroom, performed to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” by Benson Boone.
Dedication Night airs TUESDAY, OCT. 15 (8:00–10:01 p.m. EDT/PDT, 7:00–9:01 p.m. CDT). The episode will simulcast live across ABC and Disney+ in local time zones, with streaming availability the following day on Hulu. As the season approaches its midpoint, judges will also visit rehearsals to evaluate progress, offer targeted feedback and help dancers refine key elements ahead of live performance.
The emotional weight of Dedication Night often raises the stakes for the competitors. Judges’ critiques will focus on technique, musicality and storytelling, while viewers’ votes remain an essential part of who advances. The combination of live judging and audience participation makes this episode a pivotal moment in the race for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Voting is open to viewers during the live simulcast in the Eastern and Central time zones. Online voting will be available to fans across the United States, its territories and Canada via the official DWTS voting site. Fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also cast votes via SMS/text; Canadian viewers are not eligible to vote by SMS. Judges’ scores are combined with viewer votes from the night to determine which couple may face elimination.
Dancing with the Stars 2024 Dedication Night dance styles and song choices
- Danny Amendola and pro Witney Carson — Contemporary to “Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)” by X Ambassadors. Their performance is dedicated to former NCAA head football coach Mike Leach.
- Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson — Viennese Waltz to “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims. Joey dedicates this routine to his fiancée, Kelsey Anderson.
- Dwight Howard and pro Daniella Karagach — Rumba to “Shoot For The Stars” by Dwight Howard. Dwight’s performance is dedicated to his children.
- Chandler Kinney and pro Brandon Armstrong — Contemporary to “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. Chandler dedicates the routine to her mother.
- Ilona Maher and pro Alan Bersten — Rumba to “My Way” by Yseult. Ilona’s dedication honors the U.S. women’s national rugby sevens team.
- Brooks Nader and pro Gleb Savchenko — Salsa to “Mi Gente” by J Balvin & Willy William. Brooks dedicates her dance to her sisters.
- Stephen Nedoroscik and pro Rylee Arnold — Argentine Tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. Stephen dedicates his performance to the world of men’s gymnastics.
- Phaedra Parks and pro Val Chmerkovskiy — Rumba to “Because You Loved Me” by Céline Dion. Phaedra dedicates the routine to her mother.
- Jenn Tran and pro Sasha Farber — Foxtrot to “The Archer” by Taylor Swift. Jenn dedicates this dance to Taylor Swift.
Each pairing brings a distinct blend of emotion and technique to their chosen genre, from the controlled elegance of the Viennese Waltz and Foxtrot to the raw, expressive language of Contemporary and Rumba. The variety of styles—Contemporary, Viennese Waltz, Rumba, Salsa, Argentine Tango and Foxtrot—ensures a night of contrasting rhythms, storytelling approaches and theatrical moments.
Dancing with the Stars is co-hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. The judging panel for Dedication Night includes Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough and guest judge Mark Ballas. With heartfelt dedications, rigorous feedback from the judges, and live viewer participation, this episode promises to combine emotional resonance with competitive intensity as couples fight to remain in contention for the season crown.