Former Dancing With the Stars contestant Danica McKellar is teaming up with one of the show’s professional dancers and a former co-star in an upcoming movie.
McKellar paired with DWTS pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy during her time on the ballroom dancefloor. She recently teamed with DWTS pro dancer Gleb Savchenko for his acting debut.
The duo appears in Great American Family’s movie, Swing Into Romance, which includes dancing as a prominent part of the plot.
McKellar learned a lot when she was on DWTS from her pro dance partner. Savchenko, who has worked with reality TV stars and actresses on DWTS, credited McKellar for helping him behind the scenes during filming.
Earlier this month, he shared an Instagram carousel post featuring a side-by-side selfie with McKellar and indicated he felt “blessed” in his first acting role and is “ready to shine on the big screen!”
“Huge shoutout to the incredible @danicamckellar for believing in me and guiding me through this incredible experience and also being an amazing dance partner. It’s all about teamwork!” Savchenko wrote in an IG caption.
Danica McKellar and Gleb Savchenko’s DWTS history
Actress Danica McKellar, who rose to fame on ABC’s The Wonder Years, appeared in Season 18 of Dancing With the Stars, which aired in 2014.
During that season, McKellar was with Chmerkovskiy and finished in sixth place. Val’s brother, Maxim Chmerkovskiy, guided his dance partner, Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis to the win, collecting the Mirrorball trophy.
Most of Savchenko’s career has been spent helping celebrities find their footing and perfect their dance routines for DWTS. Previous celebs he’s partnered with include Lisa Vanderpump, Jana Kramer, Erika Jayne, and Sasha Pieterse.
Savchenko appeared in many seasons of DWTS, including UK, Australian and Russian versions of the show. His first appeared on the United States version came in 2013.
His most notable finishes came during Season 28 with country season Lauren Alaina and Season 31 with drag queen Shangela. Both of these seasons saw Savchenko and his partners finish fourth overall.
What is Swing into Romance, and when does it premiere?
Swing into Romance is an upcoming film from the Great American Family that stars McKellar as Christine Sims, a former dancer. Savchenko appears in the movie as her ex-fiance.
David Haydn-Jones, known for his role in the TV sitcom Frasier, reunited with McKellar in the movie. They previously appeared in a 2016 Christmas film together.
McKellar called it “a joy to relive the thrill of my time on Dancing with the Stars with the incredible Gleb Savchenko” in working on Swing Into Romance with him.
“He was like a sponge with everything I taught him and did a terrific job playing my ex-fiance and ex-dance partner,” McKellar said, adding, “you’d never know it was his first acting job.”
Swing Into Romance focuses on former dancer Christine Sims as she travels back to her hometown as the town’s Fall Festival has arrived. Her trip involves her learning that the General Store is in trouble, so she decides to put back on her dancing shoes in an effort to save the business.
During Christine’s efforts, she’ll be up against her ex-fiance and possibly discover love. Savchenko plays her ex-fiance, with his name in the movie not yet revealed.
An official premiere date has yet to be revealed. However, the film should arrive in September as part of Autumn Harvest, Great American Family’s fall program event.
Dancing With The Stars returns this Fall on ABC and DIsney+.