The lights go down as the audience rumbles with anticipation. Their favorite dancers are preparing to grace the stage of the Louisville Palace. 

“Dancing with the Stars” season 31 debuted on Sept. 22, 2022, and concluded on Nov. 21 of the same year. Months later, the castmates began a three-month long, nationwide tour premiering on Jan. 6, 2023. On Nov. 7, the cast took on the Louisville Palace. With a beautiful venue and energetic crowd, they treated the viewers to an enticing performance for all ages, filled with a multitude of dance styles, leaps, turns, and lifts.

The cast for Louisville’s concert featured eight talented dancers and two stars: acclaimed actor Daniel Durant and “The Bachelorette” co-host Gabby Widney. After coming in second place to Charli D’Amelio in “Dancing with the Stars,” Gabby Widney joined the cast as co-host and provided various comedic moments, including bringing to the stage a “runners-up trophy” composed of a shopping cart, streamers, and a disco ball.

Gallery • 7 Photos

In Lights: On Feb. 7, 2023, the day of "Dancing with the Stars Live," a sign reads, "Dancing With the Stars Feb 7," outside of the Palace Theatre, Photo by: Bella Tilford

Gallery • 7 Photos

ASL: Daniel Durant, Broadway and screen actor, greets the audience ASL gesture for clapping on Feb. 7, 2023, at the Louisville Palace. Durant, who is deaf, explains his love for dancing and music. Photo by Erica Fields.

In between dance segments, around five to ten minutes in length each, the hosts, Widney and Emma Slater, engaged the crowd with amusing dialogue that gave the dancers a short break backstage. During these acts, the hosts facilitated interviews with the dancers regarding their time on “Dancing with the Stars.” Durant, accompanied by his interpreter, enthusiastically told the audience his affinity for dance and how he experiences music as a deaf man. He also gushed about his dance trainer, who learned sign language to better communicate with him. These intermissions also included crowd interactions, which continued through multiple segments of the show. 

A certain number in particular featured a “dance final,” in which the cast partnered up, and Brandon Armstrong, a dancer, looked to the crowd for his dance partner. Armstrong frantically sprinted across the stage with the woman in arms, and the big finale spotlighted the audience member and her recent engagement.

The dancers were very experienced and their stage presence was captivating. The chemistry between dancers Aleix Warr and Sasha Feber was particularly charming. Each dancer performed with multiple partners throughout the show; each performance was more entertaining than the last. Dance styles, such as the salsa and the waltz, were used to accentuate the chemistry between the cast. The music perfectly coincided with the dancing to create a fantastic show that the audience greatly enjoyed.