Kamri Peterson recalled the exact moment she found out she would be part of the Dancing With the Stars troupe for season 35.
“I was in a hotel room. I was at a dance convention. I was in a hotel room all by myself. I got the call,” Peterson, 18, told Us exclusively at Dancing With the Stars Con 2026. “I was absolutely shocked and so excited.”
Peterson said it has “been a dream” of hers to return to DWTS since she took part in its short-lived spinoff DWTS: Juniors.
“I was just so excited. I really don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my entire life,” she gushed. “I called my mom first, and then I called my dad, and then I called one of my best friends’ moms, Felicia, and then my best friend Malakai.”
News broke on Sunday, August 2, at the first-ever DWTS Con that Peterson will perform in the troupe for the upcoming season of the hit show. When Peterson appeared on DWTS: Juniors in 2018, she was partnered up with Little Big Shots alum Akash Vukoti with help from mentor Witney Carson.
“One of my favorite pros is Witney because she was my pro on Juniors, so I always feel like that’s so fun,” Peterson told Us. “I love Rylee [Arnold] because I grew up with [her], so it’s so fun seeing her.”
She continued: “But literally, there’s Dani[ella Karagach]. I grew up watching Dani even before I was on Juniors. I’d watch her videos on YouTube. Like, I have been a die-hard fan of Dani since before Juniors. I mean, before Dancing With the Stars. So, yeah, I mean, literally everyone. Everyone’s so good.”
Peterson said being on DWTS: Juniors was an experience that shaped her life, adding, “I just remember having the absolute time of my life. Like, literally, my favorite memories ever are from that show.”
She’s even more excited to return to the ballroom in this new chapter.
“This is my first performance with Dancing With the Stars since Dancing With the Stars: Juniors. I’m just so excited,” she shared from the Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California. “It’s surreal because this is such a big dream of mine. So it’s been amazing, and I feel like everyone’s had a lot of fun. I’ve had a lot of fun. It’s been amazing.”
ABC has yet to announce the rest of the season 35 troupe members — or the pro roster — but so far, fans can expect to see celebs Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez competing in the ballroom this fall.
Peterson, meanwhile, is looking forward to leaving her mark, telling Us, “I want to inspire the younger generation. I want them to see that dance doesn’t have to be so serious. It can also be something that’s just fun because I feel like, at least for me, dance is something that I do because I enjoy it, not because I have to.”
She concluded: “And I feel like sometimes people get a little distracted by the fact that ‘Oh, we have to win, we have to do this, we have to do that,’ but also we dance because we love it, so I think I want to show people that dance can be fun. It doesn’t always have to be competitive and scary.”
Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC with a two-night premiere starting Tuesday, September 15.
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