For its 12th season, Dance with the stars is renewed. The candidates for the next edition will thus be scrutinized by an unprecedented jury. As revealed by Le Parisien on Thursday July 21, 2022, Denitsa Ikonomova and Jean-Paul Gaultier will no longer judge the couples involved in the TF1 competition. They are replaced by Marie-Agnès Gillot and Bilal Hassani.
Marie-Agnès Gillot was named prima ballerina in 2004 after performing a contemporary work. A first for the Paris Opera, which she finally left after a very successful career, on March 31, 2018. She had danced that day to Orpheus and Eurydice by Pina Bausch. According to Frédéric Pedraza, deputy director of TF1 Production interviewed by our colleagues, Marie-Agnès Gillot “is extremely educational, with an endearing personality and different from anything we have seen so far”. A “true crush” for the DALS teams.
Another notable rookie on the jury: Season 11 finalist Bilal Hassani. Like Shy’m or M Pokora, the artist will go to the other side of the desk. Last year, he had a faultless run, notably marking the viewers with a very moving performance on Kid by Eddy de Pretto. With his partner Jordan Mouillerac, Bilal Hassani had formed the first unmixed couple on the show. He only failed against singer Tayc in the final.
“He was a candidate who gave us an exceptional show last year, week after week. And who knows well the workings and the little pitfalls that can be found in this type of competition”, explains Frédéric Pedraza. The program also relies on the former Eurovision candidate to attract the youngest. On Instagram, the young man shared the announcement of his entry into the jury, confiding: “Victory is in the heart, dreams come true and even sometimes are prolonged”.
Paris Opera dancer François Alu and historic member of the show Chris Marques complete the DALS season 12 jury. Jean-Paul Gaultier has chosen to devote himself to creating a show for the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin while Denitsa Ikonomova is monopolized by the cinema. The one who has already won the trophy four times (Rayane Bensetti, Loïc Nottet, Laurent Maistret and Clément Rémiens) should still return to the show for an evening event.
For the time being, we do not know when the new season of Dancing with the stars will be broadcast. As for the casting, some indiscretions have already leaked: the names of Amandine Petit (Miss France 2021), Clémence Castel (Koh-Lanta), Billy Crawford, David Douillet or Anggun have been put forward in recent weeks. On the entertainment side, Camille Combal will once again be the master of ceremonies for prime times.
