In 10 years on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Minneapolis native Alan Bersten has won the coveted title once and finished in the top five four other times. But what drew more attention than winning? Choreographing a Hanukkah dance to Matisyahu’s Miracle on the Dancing With the Stars holiday show on Dec. 2 – the first time a Hanukkah song had been represented in the holiday show.
Bersten took some time out of a busy rehearsal schedule ahead of the upcoming Dancing with the Stars Tour (stopping in Minneapolis at The Armory on March 4, 2026), to talk about Hanukkah dance, and his life in dance thus far.
(Interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity)
TC Jewfolk: Was choreographing a dance for the show a different experience because it was for Hanukkah in the holiday show?
Alan Bersten: I think there was a lot of pressure that either I put on myself or I just felt that there would be just because it is the first Hanukkah number on Dancing with the Stars. And on top of that, there aren’t many Hanukkah dance numbers in general on television. So there’s definitely a lot of pressure trying to make sure that I do it justice.
You know, I think Dancing with the Stars is such a phenomenal show. They actually came to me because I didn’t know there was a holiday special. And they’re like, ‘There’s going to be a holiday special. We want you to do a Hanukkah number.’ The fact that all of that came together is solely because of Dancing with the Stars. They’re incredible.”
TCJ: Has being Jewish on a show with a lot of Mormon participants affected your feelings of belonging?
AB: It is funny that on Dancing with the Stars, there are a lot of Mormons. No one really just goes into the religious thing. Everyone’s just so friendly. I’ve been there for over 10 years now. It is truly a family, you know, so I don’t really see the difference. Everyone’s just so supportive of each other.
TCJ: Dance isn’t just a career for you; it’s the family business. But did you know that this was your path forward and what made you want to stick with it?
AB: Honestly, growing up in Minnesota, I had no idea that there was even a chance to dance as a career, other than dancing and teaching at a dance studio. I got very lucky. I remember watching Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and I was like ‘One day, maybe there’s a chance I can get on there.’ And somehow everything aligned so well.
Truly, I don’t know why I got so lucky, but I don’t wanna press the luck. I feel so grateful, and it truly is like when you wake up, and you get to do what you love, you enjoy it. And I think that resonates a lot more than ‘I have to go dance.’ So I feel very blessed.
TCJ: You’ve obviously got a lot of fans here in the Twin Cities. Anything you want to say to your friends, family, and supporters back here in Minnesota?
AB: I’m always going to be from Minnesota. I love Minnesota, even though when it’s freezing.It’s such a pleasure whenever we come back for the tour. People in Minnesota are just so genuine and so caring. And so I’m proud to be from Minnesota.
TCJ: How much joy did it bring you to get to do a Chanukah song? I mean, obviously, part of being on stage is the presence, you’re smiling, you’re having fun, but watching you, there seemed like a real genuineness because this was so important.
AB: It’s honestly a little crazy. The reaction of everyone was so good. You don’t know what to expect with everything going on in the world. And just the way people received it made me feel so good and so proud. You know, it’s scary doing something that even on Dancing with the Stars hasn’t been done before. On mainstream television, it’s not done a lot. Other than Adam Sandler.
But the reaction and the response from everyone has been so incredible. And, know, like to me, to have a small part of that, to make somebody that’s watching it feel good and feel seen, that to me is such an incredible feeling and such an incredible blessing, truly, because like, who else gets to feel like that? Doing something that I love and that makes people feel good about themselves? I just feel so lucky. I know I’ve been saying that a lot, but it’s true. I get to do what I love and it impacts people in such a good way. I’ve honestly got more responses for this Hanukkah number than when I won the show.