On November 2, 2026, Slovenian dancer and choreographer Jan Ravnik, 31, led the “The Greatest Show” section of Dancing with the Stars’ unscored Disney Night opening medley. Pros and troupe members performed the Broadway-themed number, which included music from The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Aladdin and The Greatest Showman.
Ravnik had performed on Taylor Swift’s 2023–2024 Eras Tour when Mandy Moore introduced him to casting producer Deena Katz during its Toronto stop. Katz offered him a place among the show’s pros, but he took about 3 months to accept. Ravnik said in September 2026, “I have never watched this show in my life.”
He’d won national, European and world dance titles and twice earned Best Dancer of Slovenia honors. Without classical ballroom training, he worried that joining the show could hurt the commercial and contemporary dance career he’d built.
To prepare, he worked with teacher Liana Bakhtiarova for 6 hours a day, every day, for 6 months. He studied each partner’s role so he’d be able to teach a celebrity.
In season 34, Ravnik and his partner Jen Affleck, a star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, finished 9th. For season 35, he and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor Tatyana Ali tried different dance styles to find her strengths before working together. He advocated choreography suited to those strengths, while Ali praised his kindness and confidence.
On Disney Night, they performed a contemporary routine to “Easy as Life” from Aida as Heather Headley sang live. They scored 33/40, including Ali’s first 9 of the season.