Hailey Bills is sashaying her way to the front of the stage.
After making her Dancing With the Stars debut last year, performing in the background as part of the season 34 dance troupe, the 20-year-old was announced as one of this season’s professional dancing partners.
Bills will be paired with celebrity partner Sarah Jane Nader—whose sister Brooks Nader competed on season 33—marking the first time the dancing competition has featured a same-sex pairing since season 31 in 2022.
As Sarah said during the cast’s Sept. 2 appearance on GMA, “I’m so excited. I mean, I think we all know that girls run the world, right? So, I think this partnership is going to be so special. And we’re already having so much fun.”
And the upcoming season will be a family affair for Bills, as her aunt Jenna Johnson—who first joined the show in 2014, also as a member of the dance troupe—is returning as the pro partner of Grey’s Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr.
Plus, her uncle Val Chmerkovskiy—Johnson’s husband since 2019—will be paired with Step Up actress Jenna Dewan.