Calgary JoJo Siwa To Make 'Dancing With The Stars' History As Half Of Same-Sex Pairing | HuffPost Entertainment - Action.News ABC Action News WestNet-HD Weather Traffic

JoJo Siwa is set to waltz, tango and foxtrot her way to history this fall.

The 18-year-old actor, singer and YouTube superstar is joining the lineup of ABCs Dancing With the Stars next month for its 30th season and, in a historic first , will be paired with a female professional dancer.

Speaking to Variety at ABCs Television Critics Association panel this week, Siwa said she hoped to make everything OK for the people who come after me by being partnered on the show with another woman.

Theres a lot of barriers that were going to have to break through who leads, how do you dress, what shoes do you wear? But I think its all something that Im looking forward to, she explained . Its going to be tricky, but its going to give so much to people out there people of the LGBTQ community, people who feel just a little different. Its going to give them a sense of happiness.

Siwa reiterated her enthusiasm in a short video posted Thursday to Twitter.

I cant wait to just dance every single week, she said. I cant wait to meet my partner. There are so many things I am so excited for!

IM SO EXCITED https://t.co/EN1ygC5Jj3

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IM SO EXCITED https://t.co/EN1ygC5Jj3
JoJo Siwa! (@itsjojosiwa) August 26, 2021

Since its 2005 premiere, Dancing With the Stars has featured a fair number of LGBTQ contestants, including original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley , football player Michael Sam and Carole Baskin of Netflix s Tiger King. In 2018, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon became the shows first gay winner.

Each of Siwas predecessors, however, was paired with a professional dancer of the opposite sex.

Siwa, originally from Nebraska, has cultivated a following of millions of young followers via her YouTube channel, Its JoJo Siwa . Last year, she was included on Time magazines annual list of 100 most influential people in the world. She came out as a member of the LGBTQ community in January, stressing that she wasnt looking to label her sexuality further just yet.

And as fans can attest, shes no dance novice. At age 9, she made her television debut as a contestant on Abbys Ultimate Dance Competition, which aired in 2013. She came in fifth place.

Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars premieres Sept. 20.