'Dancing with the Stars' returns with special 2-hour season premiere

"Dancing with the Stars" is back with its most unique cast yet, and ready to hit the ballroom floor. The competition begins with the two-hour season premiere, live, Monday, Sept. 12 (8-10:01 p.m. EDT), on the ABC Television Network. The premiere episode will kick off with the largest-scale opening number ever, shot with the pros at Griffith Observatory. 

Each couple will perform a jive, foxtrot, cha cha or Viennese Waltz, vying for America's vote for the first time. No couples will be eliminated on week 1, and they will all advance to week 2 of the competition.

Each couple will dance to the following songs (in alphabetical order):

• Jake T. Austin & Jenna Johnson - jive - "Kiss You" by One Direction
• Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds & Allison Holker - foxtrot - "Deed I Do" by Ray Charles
• Marilu Henner & Derek Hough - jive - "Can't Stop Dancing" by Becky G
• Laurie Hernandez & Valentin Chmerkovskiy - cha cha - "American Girl" by Bonnie McKee
• James Hinchcliffe & Sharna Burgess - foxtrot - "Live Life" by Zayde Wølf
• Calvin Johnson Jr. & Lindsay Arnold - cha cha - "That's What I Like" by Flo Rida feat. Fitz Lunchmoney
• Terra Jolé & Sasha Farber - jive - "Stuff Like That There" by Betty Hutton
• Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko - Viennese waltz - "Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande
• Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke - foxtrot - "Call Me Irresponsible" by Michael Bublé
• Maureen McCormick & Artem Chigvintsev - Viennese waltz - "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" by Mary J. Blige
• Rick Perry & Emma Slater - cha cha - "God Blessed Texas" by Little Texas
• Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - foxtrot - "Here" by Alessia Cara
• Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle) & Witney Carson - cha cha - "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice

Hosted by Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, "Dancing with the Stars" is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including head judge Len Goodman, and dancers/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

For Monday, viewers may cast their votes for their favorite couples via phone during and up to 60 minutes after the end of the "Dancing with the Stars" broadcast in each time zone. Online voting at www.ABC.com and on Facebook at https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ is open for 24 hours, beginning from the start of each episode on the East Coast at 8 p.m., and closing at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.

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