Was Harry Shum Jr. a Professional Dancer Before DWTS? His Dance Background Explained
Harry Shum Jr. immediately established himself as one of the contestants to watch on Dancing With the Stars Season 35. The Grey’s Anatomy and Glee actor earned 21 points for his opening cha-cha with Jenna Johnson, giving the pair the highest score among the male celebrities on premiere night. For viewers who remember Shum primarily…
Harry Shum Jr. immediately established himself as one of the contestants to watch on Dancing With the Stars Season 35. The Grey’s Anatomy and Glee actor earned 21 points for his opening cha-cha with Jenna Johnson, giving the pair the highest score among the male celebrities on premiere night.
For viewers who remember Shum primarily as an actor, the performance may have been a surprise. His comfort on the dance floor, however, has a straightforward explanation. Long before Grey’s Anatomy and many of his best-known film roles, Shum built a professional career as a dancer and choreographer.
Related: How Did Ezra Frech Dance on DWTS With a Prosthetic Leg? His Premiere Tango Explained
Harry Shum Jr. Was a Professional Dancer Before Becoming an Actor
Shum began dancing while he was in high school and eventually pursued it professionally. ABC’s official DWTS biography describes him as a sought-after dancer and choreographer who performed and toured with major recording artists before his acting career became his primary focus.
Dance also provided Shum with some of his earliest opportunities in Hollywood. He appeared in Step Up 2: The Streets before landing the role that introduced him to an even wider audience, Mike Chang on Glee.
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Mike initially stood out largely because of his dancing, and Shum’s role eventually expanded as the series progressed. He later starred in, produced and co-choreographed The LXD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, a project created by filmmaker Jon M. Chu that combined storytelling with elaborate dance performances.
Shum therefore enters DWTS with considerably more dance experience than the average celebrity contestant.
Harry Shum Jr.’s Glee Experience Is Different From Ballroom Dancing
His professional background does not mean that Shum already knows how to perform the styles required on Dancing With the Stars.
Before the season began, Shum pushed back on the assumption that his dance experience would automatically make the competition easy. He explained that ballroom and Latin dancing involve a different vocabulary from the forms of dance he previously performed, leaving him with plenty to learn alongside Jenna Johnson.
That distinction was visible during his premiere cha-cha. The judges immediately recognized his musicality and previous training, but they also found habits that will have to change as he adjusts to ballroom technique.
Shum has experience performing choreography at a professional level. DWTS is asking him to apply that ability to styles in which technique, partnering, posture and specific ballroom or Latin characteristics are judged closely.
Harry Shum Jr. Had the Highest Score on DWTS Night 1
Shum and Johnson performed their first cha-cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove.” Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each awarded the routine a 7, producing a total of 21 out of 30.
That put Shum at the top of the Night 1 leaderboard, narrowly ahead of Paralympic champion Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, who scored 20.
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The result will inevitably keep Shum’s previous dance experience part of the Season 35 conversation. He is not entering the ballroom as a beginner in the broader sense, and his professional background gives him familiarity with choreography, musicality and live performance that many contestants have to develop from scratch.
The more interesting test will be whether that experience translates across the full range of ballroom and Latin styles. His opening cha-cha suggests that the foundation is already there, but Shum himself has made clear that professional dance experience and ballroom expertise are not the same thing.
