Contemporary

Category: Theatrical / DWTS specialty
Also known as: Lyrical contemporary
DWTS performances in dataset: 119
Average total score: 30.48
First appearance: Season 15, Week 4 — Kelly & Val (Fix You)
Lift rule on DWTS: Allowed (non-core / specialty style on DWTS).

Origins and history

Contemporary concert dance blends modern, ballet and other influences. On DWTS it arrived as a high-scoring specialty style (our data: first season 15) and often showcases lifts and floorwork barred in core ballroom/Latin.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Contemporary dance — Concert dance lineage
• TV Insider: DWTS lift rules — Contemporary allows lifts

How it is danced

Aspect	Detail
Time signature	Varies
Tempo (MPM)	N/A
Tempo (BPM, approx.)	Song-dependent
Character	Expressive, floorwork-friendly, abstract partnering; emotional narrative.
Hold / frame	Creative partnering; weight sharing; lifts common.
Basic steps & figures	Choreography-led: contractions, releases, floorwork, lifts, partnering tricks.
What judges look for	Emotion, originality, control in partnering/lifts, musical interpretation.

Competition tempi cite WDSF Competition Rules E.3.2 and related DanceSport charts where applicable; theatrical styles are song-driven.

History on Dancing with the Stars

Statistics below are computed from the Data with the Stars SQLite performance and score tables (not invented).

• Times danced: 119
• Score range: 18.0 – 40.0 (total judges’ score as stored)
• Perfect nights (every judging mark = 10): 20

Average score by era

Era	Performances	Average total
S11-20	29	30.64
S21-30	51	29.22
S31+	39	32.11

Best scores

• 40.0 — S18 W5: James & Peta — Let It Go (Idina Menzel)
• 40.0 — S19 W8: Janel & Val — Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) (Quindon Tarver)
• 40.0 — S19 W10: Bethany & Derek — I Want You Back (The Jackson 5)
• 40.0 — S20 W9: Riker & Allison — Work Song (Hozier)
• 40.0 — S24 W8: Normani & Val — Freedom (Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton)

Lowest scores

• 18.0 — S32 W5: Harry & Rylee — Keep Your Head Up
• 20.0 — S16 W1: Ingo & Kym — Yellow
• 20.0 — S18 W1: Sean & Karina — Somewhere Only We Know
• 20.0 — S22 W3: Von & Witney — In the Air Tonight
• 21.0 — S16 W1: Dorothy & Tristan — Tiny Dancer

First perfect nights (all marks 10)

• S18 W5: James & Peta — Let It Go (total 40.0, 4 judges)
• S19 W8: Janel & Val — Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) (total 40.0, 4 judges)
• S19 W10: Bethany & Derek — I Want You Back (total 40.0, 4 judges)
• S20 W9: Rumer & Val — Theme from Swan Lake, Op. 20 (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S20 W9: Riker & Allison — Work Song (total 40.0, 4 judges)

Most-used songs

• Work Song — Hozier (2×)
• Toxic — 2WEI (2×)
• Lose You to Love Me — Selena Gomez (2×)
• Fix You — Coldplay (1×)
• Yellow — Coldplay (1×)
• Feel Again — OneRepublic (1×)
• Tiny Dancer — Elton John (1×)
• Slow Dancing in a Burning Room — John Mayer (1×)

Charts

• Data CSV: data/contemporary-by-season.csv
• SVG: charts/contemporary-frequency.svg, charts/contemporary-score-trend.svg

Watch top performances

• DWTS 18 Week 5 Disney Night :"Let It Go" From 'Frozen' James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd - Contemporary — S18 W5, score 40.0, Let It Go
• DWTS S20 Week 9: Riker Lynch & Allison Holker - Contemporary — S20 W9, score 40.0, Work Song
• Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson’s Horror Movie Night Contemporary | Dancing with the Stars — S35 W7, score 40.0, Toxic
• Amber Glenn and pro Pasha Pashkov perform a Contemporary to "Breathe Me" by Sia #DWTS #Dedication... — S35 W6, score 38.0, Breathe Me
• Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach’s Dedication Night Contemporary | Dancing with the Stars — S35 W6, score 37.0, Bloodline

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Educational fan reference. Dance histories paraphrased from cited sources; DWTS stats from project data. Not affiliated with BBC Studios or Disney.