Jenna Dewan turned to Instagram to honor her mother, Nancy, with an emotional tribute before Dedication Night on Dancing with the Stars. She said she will dedicate a dance to her mother on Tuesday.
The post gave fans a personal answer to how old is Jenna Dewan in the simplest sense: she is at a stage in life where she is looking back at the lessons that shaped her. Dewan said she has been thinking about everything her mother taught her, from leading with kindness and giving people grace to staying strong without losing softness and keeping her heart open.
She also said Nancy has always been her biggest cheerleader, the one who believed in her before she understood what was possible for herself. Dewan added that her mother encouraged her to dream big, keep going and never lose sight of who she is along the way. She described Nancy as the woman who first encouraged her love of dance, making the upcoming performance feel less like a TV assignment and more like a family tribute.
The timing matters because Dedication Night is close, and Dewan is preparing to perform with Alan Bersten while her usual partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, is suspended for one week. That makes the tribute stand out all the more: it is not just a sentimental post, but a public lead-in to a dance built around her mother’s influence.
Dewan said the values parents pass on can matter more than anything material, and she hoped above all to make Nancy proud, not only by what she does, but by who she is. Fans responded warmly in the comment section, suggesting the tribute landed exactly as she intended. On Tuesday, the performance will make the tribute concrete, turning a personal message into the night’s central moment.
