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Danielle Fishel (3:18)

Hello everybody. I am Danielle Fishel, TV director, podcaster, mom of two and a multi time answer on Jeopardy under the name of my 1990s family sitcom character, Topanga Lawrence. But if you've been like millions of Americans over the past few months, then you might recognize me as a Competitor on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars, the reality competition show. I was just recently eliminated from making it all the way to the elite eight. And along the way, even now that I've been ceremoniously removed, I am recording this podcast, creating a journal of sorts detailing my life changing journey from zero dance experience to some dance experience. Even if I didn't find myself hoisting the Len Goodman mirrorball trophy above my head in victory, I do still have this year microphone. I've been talking with pros, former contestants, fellow season 34 cast members, and wildly talented behind the scenes geniuses in order to further understand the worldwide phenomenon that is Dancing with the Stars. And this week I am chatting with one of the most crucial components of that machine. During my time on the show, so many aspects of how it's run is both fascinating and basically unbelievable. And as a part of the celebrated costumes division, she helps run a team that makes everyone dancing look like a million bucks, even when their footwork taps out around a few thousand. And keep in mind, she is in charge of creating new costumes week after week for at one point over a dozen different couples, sometimes in theme, sometimes shinier than a Christmas tree, sometimes numerous looks per show, all in less than seven days. The pressure is immense and yet every episode is filled with not only beautiful outfits, but choices made with care and elegance. If you have only a few hours and need a donkey costume that is both TV ready and danceable. Well, thankfully for Alan, there's only one team on TV who can pull something like that off. You can't step in the ballroom without looking the part. Which is why this week I am absolutely honored to be speaking with a true backstage legend of the show. Some someone who has proven to accomplish the impossible week after week, year after year. It's Emmy nominated costumer Daniella Schwentner. Daniella, hold on.

Jenna Kim Jones (5:46)

Hi.

Daniella Schwentner (5:47)

Get my technology working? No, you.

Danielle Fishel (5:51)

Fabulous.

Daniella Schwentner (5:52)

You were here. You're ready.

Danielle Fishel (5:53)

You know exactly how to work the camera. You look gorgeous. As per usual.

Daniella Schwentner (5:57)

I don't know about that. It's been A rough day today. Has it. You know this room well, so.

Danielle Fishel (6:02)

I do. I know that room. I've stood there in many a hamstring brace.

Daniella Schwentner (6:07)

Yes, indeed. Yeah.

Danielle Fishel (6:09)

Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I know just how grueling your schedule is as you approach the semifinals, but I would like the audience to understand this a little bit. How many costumes are you making for just this week with the 20th anniversary of the show taking place Tuesday night?

Daniella Schwentner (6:31)

Well, you know, this is a mix now of things that we restructure, things that we shop, things that we make. So custom make is probably. I don't. I really don't know. It's. It's double dances. So with seven couples, I think we are right now. So 14. Custom make from scratch. But then a lot of things that just need to be restructured, you know, and that's sometimes just as much work as making it from, you know, scratch, because our stuff has rhinestones. Every alteration, they have to peel the rhinestones off. You know, skirts have to be changed. So it's. It's still a pretty big, big.

Danielle Fishel (7:09)

It's a big undertaking.

Daniella Schwentner (7:11)

Yeah.

Danielle Fishel (7:11)

Even if you buy something.

Daniella Schwentner (7:13)

Yeah. In the end. I think now we're looking at over 200 costumes, you know, easily for just one week, you know.

Danielle Fishel (7:20)

Oh, my gosh.

Daniella Schwentner (7:22)

Yeah. Because we just had a show, which unfortunately, you left us. I know. I left you guys. I was so sad. I know. And then the Christmas special, and now the 20th where we have so many returning people. So it's. It's definitely been a week. But, yeah, we roll with it.

Danielle Fishel (7:38)

And you. And you somehow find found time to say, how about this Sunday at 3pm I can fit in a podcast. Maybe you have a. You. Maybe you enjoy the pain.

Daniella Schwentner (7:48)

Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, this worked out kind of okay. We have a dress rehearsal in an hour, so I think half hour. I can sneak away.

Danielle Fishel (7:55)

Perfect.

Daniella Schwentner (7:55)

I. My radio on, so in case some emergency.

Danielle Fishel (7:59)

Emergency happens.

Daniella Schwentner (8:00)

But.

Danielle Fishel (8:00)

Okay. I want to start at the very beginning. Were you a kid who was making dresses for your dolls? When did you start to have an eye for fashion?

Daniella Schwentner (8:09)

I was more the kid who told her grandmother what dresses a little bit. I didn't necessarily all make them myself, but my grandma was a seamstress, and so I did grow up with sewing and all, but I always was a little bit like my ideas were a little bigger than what I could sew myself. So I very early on had people help me with that process because I'm more the idea person. I draw it, you know, as, you know, I find the fabric, I figure out with you guys the roadmap of what we're doing. And. And then I have. We have a fantastic team here, you know, ifad, who cuts everything and puts it together for me in a workroom, and then the ladies who, you know, helped put it together, and rhinestone. And so it's a big. It's a big group of people who help with this here, you know.

Danielle Fishel (8:59)

Yes. And your relationship and friendship with IFAT is one of my most favorite memories and experiences of my time on Dancing with the Stars. The way you two work together with so much respect and admiration for one another and the exchange of ideas. I just love both you ladies so much. Okay, so you. I love that you are basically the big idea person, and you don't so much consider yourself to be the technician, the actual person able to make your dream come true. Although you do know how to sew. But that's not what you. You don't spend your time doing that so much anymore.

Daniella Schwentner (9:36)

Yeah, I think, you know, the. I think my career always took me into the design area, and then there were people who were just, you know, you have to do something over and over to be really good at it, you know, I mean, yes, there's a lot of people who can do things, but to be really good, you have to do it a lot. And I have a team that is really good. So there is. And there's also. On a show like this, no time, you know, between all the meetings we have to do in the fabric shopping, in the fittings and. And, you know, the sketches and talking to everybody about the sketches, you know, there's not enough hours in the day for one person to do everything, you know, so we. I mean, obviously there's, you know, Stephen leads the boys, I lead the girls, and. And we, you know, then you have to delegate those fantastic shoemakers that help us out. There's a man's tailor. There's women's tail. You know, there's so many different hands on deck. All hands, a lot of hands. And every hand is needed, you know?

Danielle Fishel (10:36)

Yes. How did this become a career for you? Did you go to school for.

Daniella Schwentner (10:41)

I did. I. That. I did know I always wanted to be in fashion, and I always was, you know, drawn to that. I went to school for. I got a fashion design and merchandising degree, which really means not that much when you get in the real world. But I actually started as a stylist. And, you know, one day I decided I wanted to know more than just purchasing Clothes. And, you know, I wanted to actually be. Know how to create them.

Danielle Fishel (11:12)

Yeah.

Daniella Schwentner (11:13)

And I was lucky. I ended up on shows that allowed that to learn that. And then I landed here with. With no dance experience whatsoever. You know, I was like, I didn't know apostle from a cha cha when I started here. I was like, what's that? You know, But I learned. Yeah, the dance is taught a lot, and I learned a lot. And, you know, so it was an interesting journey to be here where I am now.

Danielle Fishel (11:38)

And you actually started on scripted shows, Right? Was one of your first shows, Charmed, which is a pretty costume heavy show.

Daniella Schwentner (11:44)

Yes, that was my first show that I designed. Towards the end, I took it over from another designer. Eventually I supervised it, and then I designed it. Yeah, that was, you know, another one where I really got to learn how to, you know, make a fantasy costume. Things that aren't just out there, you know, you're not just gonna shop a banji or, you know, whatever crazy demon our producers back then came up with. So, yeah, so that was that.

Danielle Fishel (12:13)

And so you joined Dancing with the Stars in 2009. How did this opportunity come about to you?

Daniella Schwentner (12:20)

You know, it was actually funny enough, I think it was partially through Steven, because Steven was an intern on Charmed with me. And then I left town for New Mexico and did a show there for three and a half years. And then I came back and I was like, I need a job. And he was like, well, it's not a design job. I actually started as a. On this show, which was not. I had been designing for I don't know how many years, probably eight years at that point. But I had lost sort of my contacts here in town, and everybody was telling me I was committing career suicide because you don't go backwards in Hollywood. And. And I was like, well, but I learned something. And, you know, learning something is always better than sitting at home waiting for a phone call.

Danielle Fishel (13:07)

Yes.

Daniella Schwentner (13:08)

So I ended up joining this team, and I don't know that happened that they needed a designer for the Tuesday show. And you're like, you're a designer. Design it. And then eventually I became, you know, it became part of the girls designing the whole thing.

Danielle Fishel (13:27)

I love that. I love that, you know, because sometimes it is. You'll get advice from people and you think, oh, am I doing the wrong thing? But your instincts told you no. And also your desire to work and to learn something, and you thought, okay, worst case scenario, I go and work on a show, and it's. It's not up to my Standard of what I have been doing for the last eight years. But I'm going to learn something new, I'm going to enjoy it and then look what happens. Like that's such a good lesson for people to trust your instincts sometimes, you know.

Daniella Schwentner (13:57)

I think so because I really look back on that decision and it was. I really never really think that way, you know, but listening to others, you're like, is this really bad if I do this? You know, people think I go really backwards. But for me it was like I. I'm always intrigued when I learn something new. And this was not a jeans and T shirt show. You know, like obviously something, if nothing else, just how to rhinestone, which I did back then. A lot of rhinestoning. And yeah, I think that's the thing, you know. And now looking back, I mean, 18 years on the show, I'm like, my life would have gone a totally different direction if I hadn't taken the show.

Danielle Fishel (14:35)

Right, exactly. Life changing moment for you right there. Real fork in the road.

Daniella Schwentner (14:39)

Yeah.

Danielle Fishel (14:40)

Okay, I want to talk. Speaking of the rhinestoning, I have seen some of the rhinestoning taking place outside. I think. Is it really every individual hand place and glued rhinestone?

Daniella Schwentner (14:54)

Yes, every single one is placed and. Yeah, by hand. Yeah.

Danielle Fishel (14:59)

That is. Must be the most time consuming work.

Daniella Schwentner (15:04)

Well, we have gotten pretty good at it. You know, we have a system down. We use glue syringes in our girls. Again, as something you do a lot, you get very good and fast edge, you know, so. But yeah, obviously that's a big element of the show. Yeah, which is why we have to push the girls through early. As you know, when you come for your first fitting, things don't look all that great yet. They're just about to get a shell on you to get an, you know, make sure you have a guideline because we need at the back end so much time to rhinestone it. So it does look beautiful. You know, that is what takes our costumes then out of like the ordinary into the spectacular, you know, is the stones.

Danielle Fishel (15:47)

So speaking of that, that first fitting, let's go through a typical week for you. And I know the weeks change, especially as you get later into the season. And now there become, you know, group dances and two dances and three dances. Let's start kind of at the beginning of a season. What does a week look like for you at the very beginning? How does, how does the week start? You get the idea for the theme.

Daniella Schwentner (16:06)

Well, you know, we, we obviously we are in team with the producers. I mean there is A creative normally given to us that kind of explains what the story should be, what, what lighting we're doing, what maybe what story we want to convey. You know, in the first, in the beginning, you know, normally we want to introduce our talent. You know, the new celebrities that come on, if they, I mean, if they're a sports person, we want to not give a nod to the sport they're in, for example, or, you know, for everybody or you eventually on the show, a number where it was a nod to the, to your show. And so, you know, so every week has those elements and then you do the research or you talk to, you know, you and your partner and there's, there's so much dialogue involved until we get to a costume because we, you know, there's the music, there's a story we want to tell, there's what producers want it to look like. Then we need to think for the women, what skirts right for you. What can you do and not do in that? What is your choreography then? It's normally for me, a sketch, you know, that I show you and we look at a fabric that I think is right for what we talked about. And then it goes through the motions. It gets cut, it gets put together, it gets fit for the first time. Then after the first time, it goes back, it gets, you know, fine tuned to the point where we start rhinestoning it and then fit it again. Then it dances.

Danielle Fishel (17:35)

And you are always working on more than one week at a time because that first sketch and meeting happens at least one full week before the week you're talking about. But plus, when you're in production, you're actually doing the fittings for the current outfit that you're wearing. So there's never a time where you're not thinking about multiple costumes for every single celebrity.

Daniella Schwentner (18:02)

Yes, for every girl dancer and every female celebrity. That's true. And that was that we're kind of used to. What was the challenge this time was we had this Christmas special also. So it was times when we had three shows in our heads. And you know that it gets a little confusing at times. You're like, but sure. What. What are you talking about? Which show are you talking about right now?

Danielle Fishel (18:25)

Oh, wow. And you of course, obviously know all the materials make those costumes also danceable because we're also limited by the fact that we have to be able to move. And so, you know, thankfully you've been doing this long enough that everything's made in a way that even though you are very sucked in, you can still Dance in it. You can still breathe in it. There's usually room for a mic pack, which is everyone's favorite conversation. Where's the mic pack going? Fun little tidbit for our listeners. Most of the time, the pack itself is really in your. Near your butt. Very, very, very close to your. Your butt. And then occasionally, if for whatever reason it can't be near your butt, it is in your breast, like in your bra area, which is not everyone's favorite spot, although I actually preferred it to the one in my butt.

Daniella Schwentner (19:18)

I did not. I did not like the butt pack. That's where we ask in the fitting, like it? Would you like it? What's the least offensive place? Exactly.

Danielle Fishel (19:29)

So also, I. Not a very sexy topic, but networks don't love spending tons of money even on a massive hit show like Dancing with the Stars, so you still have to make all of this costuming for all of these people happen within a budget, right?

Daniella Schwentner (19:46)

Yes. But I have to say that's been really good on the show for us because I think everybody understands that besides the dance and the dancer, the only other thing you really see full on all the time is the costume. And also, it really does help the dance so much. You know, when. When you have a beautiful flowing walled skirt versus, you know, I mean, we. We really do spend on the good fabric there and the silks and rather than, you know, I. Our producers are very good that way. They understand that we really do need to make it look beautiful, you know, because a big part of the beauty is how it moves and how it fits and how it looks on you guys, you know, that's great.

Danielle Fishel (20:32)

Good. I'm so glad. I'm so glad they're not waving a checkbook over your head going, you can't do this. I will say I never felt that way in any of. In any of the fittings. I never felt like there was something we wanted or asked for and. And the response was anything other than, yes, we can do that. Speaking of which, I had to give you credit on my. On my podcast. I know you heard it a while back there was when we did for the Cha Cha, I, we originally Daniella wanted to have straps on the dress and she wanted it to feel. Feel different than my promo hot pink dress that I had worn. And I loved my promo dress so much, and it was a halter. And so I reached out to Daniela and I was like, can we do a halter? I just felt like that was so comfortable and I loved the way it looked and. And she was like, yes, we can do that here. And she told me her reasons why she wanted to do the straps. And I was like, I think I still want to do a halter. She said, okay. And then the night of the show, I put that dress on and it weighed so many rhinestone pounds and it just was completely hanging on me. And we all watched it during dress rehearsal and I immediately took it off and said I was wrong. I was wrong. Daniela, I apologize. I need to have straps put on this. And within an hour, I had a dress that had the straps that Daniella originally wanted on the dress, and it fit and worked so much better. So never, never doubt you. You, You've been doing this a very long time. You know what you're doing. And I just, I wanted to apologize again for thinking I knew better.

Daniella Schwentner (22:12)

Oh, please, no, you didn't calculate in that. That dress weighed 7,000 more pounds than the promo dress because I was all beaded fringe. And those are our heaviest dresses. And especially when you move, you know, when you start moving with beaded fringe, it just pulls, pulls and pulls and pulls.

Danielle Fishel (22:30)

Yes, that is true.

Daniella Schwentner (22:31)

That was an easy fix. And you know, the, I mean, we do try to make everybody, you know, if somebody really loves something, I will always give it a try until, yeah, we can see maybe that it doesn't work. Then we fix it, then you fix.

Danielle Fishel (22:45)

It, then you go, okay, I already had those straps made up. Danielle, I was ready to go.

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Ed Helms / Kal Penn (Earsafe Hosts) (23:59)

Hey everyone. Ed Helms here and hi, I'm Kalpen and we're the hosts of Earsafe, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

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Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us?

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Danielle Fishel (27:16)

Do you look forward to the theme weeks every week? Does the having a theme help you with creativity, or does it sometimes feel a bit like a burden?

Daniella Schwentner (27:25)

Yes and no. Exactly. I mean, I think theme weeks are good sometimes because they give us all a roadmap. There's not so much like, oh, we could do this or that or the other. You know, it's you. When you. When you design for an individual dancer, because there's so many options you could go with, you know, so the. The. The theme weeks definitely limit that down. But I personally am not a fan of copying anything, you know, so that's why sometimes I don't love that when I have to copy with another designer. Design doesn't feel, like, as fun to me, you know, and especially when it's like. Like Disney, where it's really supposed to be correct, you know, like, look like that character. So you're copying pretty exact. That is. That has its other challenges. You know, it's kind of like you look at a colorful thing 10 times a day, and you're like, is it really the right blue? Is really the right blue? Is it a little shade darker? Lighter than I, you know, so it. That has that challenge. But I mean, both. You know, the show has both, and both we. You just roll with. Roll with it, with all of it.

Danielle Fishel (28:37)

Yeah. I want to talk to you a little bit about Prince week, because I was very excited that if I made it to Prince week, we were doing Bat Dance we were gonna do. And I was so excited about it because in the video for Bat Dance, Prince is wearing a purple joker suit. And I just knew I was gonna be able to hand over that inspiration to you and that you were going to come up with something incredible for that week. So what are you. What aspects of Prince week, in particular, are you looking forward to? What inspiration are you taking?

Daniella Schwentner (29:16)

Well, you know, it was. He also had such a strong look. There's, like, looks that we just really associate with. With him. So we're trying to, of course, take an essence from all of that. So it's fun because it's. It's taking a very creative personality and person and. And. And trying to, you know, put a spin on it for Dancing the Stars, which is always just an aspect of that. So you take an element, you know, that's fun because there's so many elements. You know, sometimes when we have a theme week or an artist that's a little bit more limited, but I think we have no limitations there, really, because there were so many different cool looks that totally can use as inspiration and build, you know, build off of. So I think that's the. The best part about it is that we don't land in just one color theme or, you know, how we do sometimes with certain theme weeks. Like with Wicked, we ended up in all green pretty much.

Danielle Fishel (30:16)

Right, right.

Daniella Schwentner (30:17)

So this lot more. You know, there's a lot more versatility and in the looks that we can emulate there or take as a base for inspiration.

Danielle Fishel (30:27)

Now, every year, there are different theme weeks added, and they change and everything, but one thing that pretty much remains constant is Halloween week. What is your feeling on Halloween week? Do you love it? Do you feel like you have a lot of creativity that week?

Daniella Schwentner (30:41)

Yeah, I do. I mean, again, a little bit. After 18 years, you've done a lot that. For looks, you know, which is on one hand great, because we can build of those again. You know, like, that's something that I feel like I'm learning to do now is how can I take something I've done already and modify it into something that it's new and.

Danielle Fishel (31:01)

Yeah.

Daniella Schwentner (31:02)

Which helps a lot, because then you don't have to. You know, you don't have to start so much from scratch, but you can use your time to elaborate on something. Like, you know, our. When we started, our skeletons were a little more basic. Now they're real bones and different. You again, the learning process. You know, I love Halloween because it's, you know, it's. It's fun. And the looks are, like, a little bit easy for us. Again, when you have, like, something given we know what a skeleton looks like, we know what, you know, what those characters normally need to be. Whereas, you know, sometimes the hardest is something where you're completely on your own with a look. Okay, it's. I just want a sexy Argentine tango. But that can be a million things, you know, like, then I need to really think, who are you? What is your body? What do you like on yourself? What have I learned about you over the last few weeks of knowing you? You know, So I will maybe give you a halter like I did in contemporary, because I know that dress will work that way. So, you know, you just. But I feel. I do more thinking when it's something original, you know, when it's something that. That somebody doesn't tell me, oh, it has to look like this Disney character or like this Halloween character or something, you know, I feel like we're more creative when we don't have those guidelines.

Danielle Fishel (32:26)

And so then what does happen to these beautiful costumes, these one of a kind costumes? When the season is over, where do they go? Where do ballroom costumes go to rest?

Daniella Schwentner (32:38)

They go into a storage area which is rather large. And we do keep most of it. I mean, because as I said, you know, it's. It's as we learn how to build on things that exist. You know, it with all these team dances, group dances, we can bring things back and modify them and, you know, give them a new life rather than. It would be a shame. These costumes are so time consuming, so expensive to make. It would be horrible to just get rid of them. So of course we all have, you know, another life. We have a Dance in the Stars tour. They go on that. And then obviously we reuse things because it's the only way to make the show happen. Yeah, you know, at least reuse a fully stone bodice and put a different skirt on it or something like that.

Danielle Fishel (33:26)

Of course. Have you ever had an idea for a theme on the show? Maybe something they haven't done yet, but as a costumer you would just die to work on.

Daniella Schwentner (33:36)

No, I actually haven't start thinking like we should do maybe a fashion designer inspired one, you know, now like Chanel and like, you know, Armani and that's a great idea. Ota. I mean, obviously there would be, it would be very fun to, you know, go into these different looks of these designers and make those like something else since we're already looking allotted fashion for the show, you know, because that's the, that's the fun part. We have kind of married fashion with dance more and more. So it'd be fun to maybe look into the, you know, into the different fashion houses and maybe take inspiration from what their signature looks are.

Danielle Fishel (34:20)

Oh, that's such a great idea. I love that. Is there one costume in particular that you look back on and you think, I cannot believe we pulled that off.

Daniella Schwentner (34:31)

No, there's many, many every week.

Jenna Kim Jones (34:33)

I feel that sometimes.

Daniella Schwentner (34:36)

Honestly, not even kidding. No, I think these years now are better. There were many years when I had to learn about, you know, you made mistakes and things didn't work and you know, that stuff. I feel like there were definitely times when fixing something that I just had to learn that that doesn't work for dance or that it's not as good as I thought in my head it would be. I think that were more the times where we scrambled. Now I feel we know more. You know, we, we won't do certain things anymore because they'll get us in trouble. Yeah.

Danielle Fishel (35:13)

While researching, I was looking at some of the costumes over your years on the show, and one of my favorites was Lindsey Sterling and Mark Ballas for their Quick Step Dressed as Butterflies.

Daniella Schwentner (35:23)

Yeah. Yeah, that was a fun one.

Danielle Fishel (35:25)

Dress was so beautiful. Do you have any favorites that come to mind right away when you think of favorite costumes?

Daniella Schwentner (35:33)

Well, there's some that stand out just because they were kind of first on the show. You know, we did, we did a dress actually for Sadie Robertson long time back that we said we, it was all rhinestones into a long skirt. So it was, we counted as over 25,000 stones. Oh my gosh. We were like, that's probably our most rhinestone dress ever, which I think we have surpassed at the this point. But that stood out. I mean, I feel like the first flamenco parcel we did stand out. You know, every time you did, we did something new that we hadn't done before. That stands out in my mind a little bit because we had to learn how to. How does that get put together? That's more thoughts doing, but also what fabric do we use for that? You know, when you, once you have done it, you know, oh, that worked or it didn't work and next time I won't do that anymore. The first time you do anything outfit is always, you know, you're like, you have to learn something about it.

Danielle Fishel (36:34)

Yeah, absolutely.

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Ed Helms / Kal Penn (Earsafe Hosts) (37:44)

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Danielle Fishel (41:01)

The Len Goodman tribute in 2023 was also such a tall task for you and you made an absolutely beautiful moment with the ca. Costuming, what was that assignment like for you?

Daniella Schwentner (41:14)

Well, you know, truthfully, that wasn't that hard because it was. It was a. It was a traditional ballroom number, you know, which is something we did for a long time on the show, and then we stopped doing it for a little bit, so it was fun to bring that back out. And we, As I said, we. We had bases that we could, you know, add feathers to and just dress up. So it's actually a little easier than people think it was. You know, it looked grand and beautiful, but because we were able to use existing things and just dress them up and make them more spectacular, it was actually, you know, it was almost better than starting from scratch with that because it looked much richer once you added feathers and more stones and, you know, you elaborated on a dress that existed. It just took that into that world that made it so special, I think.

Danielle Fishel (42:06)

So. This Tuesday night, you have been handed another important task to celebrate 20 years of dancing with the Stars. This podcast is going to be released after the show, so you can feel free to spoil things. It won't be. It won't air until after. Talk about what everyone saw on what was a very special night. How do you approach something so big, like the 20th anniversary of dancing with the Star?

Daniella Schwentner (42:32)

Well, I think, you know, we have people come back from the past, which is really great. I think, again, it's more volume. Derek is choreographing that opening. So I work with Eric a lot, so I kind of know what he likes, you know, overall, and I think it took just one zoom to kind of figure out the direction because we had to jump on it really fast because we had to make, like, I don't know, 12 feather skirts. And, you know, it was things that we couldn't even handle out of our department here. It had to go to other places. So then I try to find ways where somebody can follow a pattern, you know, rather than having to develop something. So it worked out actually kind of well, too, for us because we had something here that I knew would work, and then we just copied that in another workroom and. And then it's just, you know, going through the motions and getting it, making some and pulling some, and, you know, it's. It's what we do. It's. It wasn't necessarily more work than other. Other weeks, maybe more, because it's more bodies a little bit. But overall, again, I mean, for us, every week has been like. Every week like that. So we're just a lot of bodies to dress that Is, you know, then it becomes actually more of a logistical problem too, because they all have to. You all have to rehearse. And when do we fit it? You know, when do we get people so we can put things on their bodies so we can keep moving? That, I think, is the highest challenge when there's so much going on that everybody's so busy they can come see us. And the further we push it close to, you know, going live, the less time we have to fix it, make it, change it, whatever it needs for it to be good, you know, so that's the biggest stress I feel. That was the stress of this week, to get the Christmas special organized and get the 20th also at the same time organized and having all this parallel going and trying to fit it and see when somebody was available, like, I'm throwing this on you right now. Yeah, it wasn't even full outfits anymore. I was like, this top. And then let's do it another time, because it all was in the work somewhere. I'm like, okay, this is how we're doing it this week.

Danielle Fishel (44:48)

This week is going to be piece by piece.

Daniella Schwentner (44:50)

Yeah.

Danielle Fishel (44:50)

Wow. You mentioned be, you know, knowing Derek pretty well and working closely with Derek. Are there certain pros that are very hands on about the costumes, both for them and their partner, and others who are a little more like, you're the expert. Do whatever you want. And if so, who are some of the more involved partners?

Daniella Schwentner (45:13)

Well, I think it's definitely Derek, Mark, Val are very involved, you know, then others are more like, you know, like, daylight, asthma, do our thing. It depends, though. I think it's. I try to have a dialogue with everybody before, you know, I. I never like to do a costume for Celebrity Woman, for example, without checking with the pro boy what's right for their dance. Because there's so many skirt styles. I mean, for the girls, the biggest part is the skirt shirt style. Am I doing the right thing for your choreography, for your story, for what you want to express? If I give you a soft, flowy skirt and you want edgy and. And, yeah, then we're not like, it's not gonna work. And I need to know that, you know, so I need to talk to the pro boys normally, all of them, to some degree, to understand what are you doing, what's right for your dance, what's right. And then I hope a lot of them trust me now that I know what's right for their celebrity, for their body, for, you know, that we're trying to make them understand, you know, we're working with a person and they have to like it on themselves and they have to look good in it and their body has to look good in it. So, you know, it's a lot of.

Danielle Fishel (46:33)

Moving parts. Finally, the show has somehow found a whole new audience, and here we are in the middle of a very unexpected renaissance for Dancing with the Stars. As someone who has been there and seen it all firsthand, why do you think Dancing with the Stars has been able to speak to so many generations?

Daniella Schwentner (46:56)

Well, I think it's, you know, first of all, it's just really beautiful to the. The dancing music and. And, you know, the costume and everything. It is a little bit of a fantasy world and most people do like, like dance and music together. I think it's also we had, of course, a cast that came on lately that is heavily influencing the younger generations, you know, so that brought a lot of people, I think, and I just think the reality of it all, that this is a true reality show. You can't fake it. You can't. If you're not good at dancing or if you don't put in the time to get good at it, and if you don't, if the audience can't tell that you put in the time to learn and like, look at your journey, you know, there's so much people have to learn and invest of time and energy to be good at the show and good at dance and look good and have a good performance. So I think people like to see that because it is real. That's not something you can just show up for. And do you have actually really be involved, do all the steps to get good at it? And I think people like that. They see that and it keeps it fresh and it keeps it interesting. And you see people's journey and they have a good week and a bad week and. And it's. It's just. It's. It's the realness of it all, I think, that really draws people in.

Danielle Fishel (48:26)

Yeah, I think you're right. I mean, being able to see where someone starts on day one and the attitude or the. The energy that they have on day one versus by week seven or week eight. And you see now how far they've come in the relationship with their pro and how that's. And yeah, it is like you. It's impossible to not get sucked into the real story of everyone who's on the show. And obviously you are such an enormous part of that, of showcasing us in all the most beautiful, fantastic light. And so from the bottom of my heart, just thank you so much for the time we got to spend together and all the wonderful work that you did for me in particular. I'm just so grateful and I love, loved every single one of my costumes. You already know that I've already talked to you about how I, how I managed to have all those in my closet. So we will, we will talk about that more when the season is over. I'm not going to bother with bother you with it before then. Daniela, thank you so much for being here with me.

Daniella Schwentner (49:26)

Thank you for having me. Bye. Bye.

Danielle Fishel (49:32)

Danielle with the Stars Produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Executive Producer Producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman Executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer, editor and Engineer Tara Sudbaksh Theme song by Justin Siegel Follow us on Instagram daniellewithstars and vote for me.

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Daniella Schwentner (52:52)

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