The Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show is about to shatter expectations. At center stage: Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd, exuding elegance and power. Alongside them, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert bring their signature energy and precision, while Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson deliver contemporary flair with breathtaking emotion. Joined by the judges of Dancing with the Stars Season 34, the performance promises a seamless fusion of storytelling, cinematic visuals, and pure dance artistry. No pop stars, no prerecorded medleys—just three powerhouse couples, a field transformed into a living stage, and a halftime spectacle the world will never forget.

February 8, 2026, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California: 60,000 fans, 100 million viewers, and a turf that’s about to become the biggest ballroom in history. In a seismic pivot from the NFL’s usual pop supernova playbook—think Bad Bunny’s teased reggaeton reign, now reimagined as a dance revolution—the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show hands the mic (and the moves) to the heart of Dancing with the Stars. Roc Nation, the show’s curators since 2019, caught wind of Season 34’s electric energy and flipped the script: no solo divas, just a symphony of spouses who’ve conquered the Mirrorball six times between them. It’s not a concert; it’s a choreographed coup, blending Latin fire, contemporary soul, and ballroom bravado into a 13-minute odyssey that redefines halftime as high art.

At the helm: Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd, the Ukrainian-Australian power duo whose love story rivals their footwork. Married since 2017, with three sons (Shai, Rio, and newborn Milan), they’ve racked up Mirrorballs—Maksim’s three (Seasons 20, 23, 32) to Peta’s one (Season 25 with Nick Lachey)—and a Broadway legacy in Burn the Floor. Their segment? A scorching samba fusion, opening the show with hips that snap like thunder. Picture Maksim’s commanding lifts—honed in Sway: A Dance Trilogy—hoisting Peta skyward as LED vines pulse across the field, evoking their 2015 engagement mid-performance. “We’ve danced through wars, babies, and ballots,” Maksim told Variety in a pre-announce leak. “This turf? It’s our new stage—raw, relentless, romantic.” Peta, the Latin queen who turned Metta World Peace into a paso doble pro, adds emotional depth: her extensions slicing the night air, a nod to her 2023 comeback post-Rio’s birth. Their elegance? Power personified—elegant lines masking the ferocity of pros who’ve survived eliminations and encores.

Enter Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert, the resilient romantics whose precision turns pain into poetry. Derek, the six-time champ (most recently Season 32 with Xochitl Gomez) and Emmy-winning choreographer, pairs with Hayley—his 2023 bride and former troupe star—for a contemporary waltz that bleeds vulnerability. Their story? A real-life redemption arc: Hayley’s December 2023 cranial hematoma mid-Symphony of Dance tour, the emergency craniectomy, her triumphant October 2024 DWTS return. Now, expecting their “rainbow baby” in spring 2026, they weave infertility’s ache (a 2024 miscarriage) into lifts that soar like hope reborn. Derek’s signature spins—fluid, fearless—meet Hayley’s ethereal extensions, backed by holographic waves crashing across the 50-yard line. “Dance saved us,” Derek shared on their Dayley Life YouTube channel, voice thick. “This halftime? It’s our testimony—energy from the ashes.” Their precision isn’t cold; it’s cathartic, a foxtrot through fire that leaves the stadium breathless, 120 million eyes on a couple who’s turned hospital halls into holy ground.

Then, the contemporary crescendo: Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, the sibling-adjacent dynamos (Val’s Maksim’s brother) whose emotion hits like a heartbeat. Val’s three Mirrorballs (Seasons 20, 23, 32) sync with Jenna’s two (Seasons 26 with Adam Rippon, 33 with Joey Graziadei), plus a 2024 Emmy nod for their Len Goodman tribute waltz. Married since 2019, parents to 2023 son Rome, they’ve choreographed through chaos—Jenna’s 2021 miscarriage, Val’s Ukraine-rooted grit. Their piece? A raw rumba-to-contemporary hybrid, bodies intertwining like vines in a storm, projections of fractured mirrors reflecting their scars. Val’s powerful leads—forged in DWTS finals—lift Jenna into aerials that defy gravity, her contemporary flair (honed on So You Think You Can Dance Season 10) pouring grief into grace. “We’ve danced our darkest days,” Jenna posted on IG post-nomination. “This field? It’s freedom—flair from the fight.” Their emotion? Breathtaking, a pas de deux that pulses with parenthood’s joy and loss, Rome’s tiny handprint subtly etched in the set design.

Unifying the spectacle: Season 34 judges—Julianne Hough, Derek’s sister and two-time champ; Bruno Tonioli, the flamboyant maestro; Carrie Ann Inaba, the emotional anchor—join for a finale freestyle. Alfonso Ribeiro, the Carlton king turned host, emcees from midfield, his quickstep quips bridging segments. The field? A living canvas: hydraulic platforms rise like waves, pyrotechnics sync to spins, 500 backup dancers (DWTS alums and local crews) form human murals. No lipsync, no auto-tune—just live orchestration swelling from “Eye of the Tiger” remixed with Latin beats to a DWTS medley mashup. Cinematic visuals? Drone shots sweeping the stadium, AR filters letting home viewers “dance along” via apps.

This isn’t hype; it’s history. In a league eyeing inclusivity post-2025’s Bad Bunny buzz (now a guest tease?), Roc Nation’s Jay-Z championed the shift: “Dance is universal—raw, real, revolutionary.” Rehearsals leaked from L.A. soundstages show 18-hour days, couples syncing through jet lag and baby feeds. Fans? Frenzied—#DWTSHalftime petitions hit 5M signatures, tickets reselling at $10K. Critics call it “the anti-pop pivot,” Rolling Stone dubbing it “Mirrorball on Steroids.”

As the clock hits zero, the couples bow center field, turf glittering under confetti cannons. No encores needed—this halftime doesn’t pause the game; it redefines it. Maksim & Peta’s power, Derek & Hayley’s precision, Val & Jenna’s passion: a fusion that fuses hearts. Super Bowl 2026? Forget the score. The real win? Dance, unfiltered, unstoppable. The world’s watching—and the field’s on fire.