Freestyle

Category: Finale / open choreography
Also known as: Fusion freestyle
DWTS performances in dataset: 101
Average total score: 31.03
First appearance: Season 1, Week 6 — John & Charlotte (I'm So Excited)
Lift rule on DWTS: Allowed (non-core / specialty style on DWTS).

Origins and history

On DWTS, freestyle is the open final-round dance (and occasional team/group formats) where production rules that ban lifts in core styles are lifted. It is a show format, not a DanceSport syllabus style.

Sources

• TV Insider: DWTS lift rules — Freestyle encourages lifts
• Wikipedia: Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) — Format overview

How it is danced

Aspect	Detail
Time signature	Varies
Tempo (MPM)	N/A
Tempo (BPM, approx.)	Song-dependent
Character	No syllabus rules; showcase personality, tricks and lifts; classic finale dance.
Hold / frame	Anything goes.
Basic steps & figures	Original choreography; often medleys of styles the couple already danced.
What judges look for	Creativity, difficulty, cleanliness of tricks, emotional peak of the season.

Competition tempi cite WDSF Competition Rules E.3.2 and related DanceSport charts where applicable; theatrical styles are song-driven.

History on Dancing with the Stars

Statistics below are computed from the Data with the Stars SQLite performance and score tables (not invented).

• Times danced: 101
• Score range: 22.0 – 40.0 (total judges’ score as stored)
• Perfect nights (every judging mark = 10): 64

Average score by era

Era	Performances	Average total
S1-10	30	27.47
S11-20	34	31.19
S21-30	37	33.78

Best scores

• 40.0 — S19 W11: Bethany & Derek — Revolution (District 78 Remix) (Diplo feat. Faustix & Imanos and Kai)
• 40.0 — S19 W11: Sadie & Mark — Super Mario Bros. Theme (Koji Kondo)
• 40.0 — S19 W11: Janel & Val — I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (Sleeping at Last)
• 40.0 — S19 W11: Alfonso & Witney — Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) (Benny Goodman / "Apache"—The Sugarhill Gang)
• 40.0 — S20 W10: Noah & Sharna — Titanium (David Guetta feat. Sia / "Fix You"—Coldplay)

Lowest scores

• 22.0 — S5 W10: Marie & Jonathan — Start Me Up
• 24.0 — S9 W10: Kelly & Louis — I Will Survive
• 24.0 — S10 W10: Evan & Anna — Footloose
• 24.0 — S18 W10: Candace & Mark — Canned Heat
• 25.0 — S1 W7: Kelly & Alec — Get The Party Started

First perfect nights (all marks 10)

• S1 W6: Kelly & Alec — Let's Get Loud (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S2 W8: Drew & Cheryl — Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S3 W10: Mario & Karina — It Takes Two (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S4 W10: Apolo & Julianne — Bust a Move (total 30.0, 3 judges)
• S4 W10: Joey & Kym — Last Dance (total 30.0, 3 judges)

Most-used songs

• I'm So Excited — The Pointer Sisters (1×)
• Let's Get Loud — Jennifer Lopez (1×)
• Get The Party Started — Pink (1×)
• I Am What I Am — Gloria Gaynor (1×)
• Celebration — Kool & The Gang (1×)
• Stayin' Alive — Bee Gees (1×)
• Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) — Big & Rich (1×)
• U Can't Touch This — MC Hammer (1×)

Charts

• Data CSV: data/freestyle-by-season.csv
• SVG: charts/freestyle-frequency.svg, charts/freestyle-score-trend.svg

Watch top performances

• Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Freestyle (Week 11) - Dancing With The Stars — S19 W11, score 40.0, Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)
• Dancing with the Stars 23 - Laurie Hernandez & Val Freestyle | LIVE 11-21-16 — S23 W11, score 40.0, Brand New
• Normani Kordei and Val's Freestyle (Week 10) - Dancing with the Stars Season 24! — S24 W10, score 40.0, What the World Needs Now Is Love
• Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold Freestyle (Week 10) | Dancing With The Stars — S25 W10, score 40.0, Puttin' on the Ritz 2017 (Jazzy Radio Mix)
• Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach Freestyle (Week 10) | Dancing With The Stars — S30 W10, score 40.0, Lose Control

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Educational fan reference. Dance histories paraphrased from cited sources; DWTS stats from project data. Not affiliated with BBC Studios or Disney.