Update On Protester Incident, DWTS Re-Evaluating Security, Pros And Celebs Head Back To Rehearsals

According to Good Morning America this morning, the protesters who stormed the stage on Dancing With The Stars are out of jail now. They comment on why they did it below (rolleyes). In the GMA report, note how the show is re-evaluating their security protocols and they are increasing security.

Cheryl Burke is still shaken by the incident. A source tells People that “She can’t believe people can be so hateful and cowardly.” According to another People report, Ryan is suffering from an ankle injury because of the incident. Cheryl also comments that everyone is still shaken by what happened, but, they were able to rehearse yesterday and are moving forward. Be sure to read both People links for more.

This morning, I got up and headed to rehearsal with the other pro dancers. Everyone is definitely a little shaken up about what happened, but it’s good to be dancing and focused on next week’s show.

I’m sure security will be increased for Monday’s show but, honestly, I still feel 100 percent safe in the ballroom. We have an amazing security team who have worked on the show for years and they are incredible.

This afternoon I’m headed to rehearse with Ryan. I know it will probably take us a few weeks to put this incident behind us, but I know Ryan wants to move forward and he’s not going to let this bring him down.

We have a quickstep this week and Ryan did injure his ankle a little when the protester got tackled, so we’ll have to see how our first rehearsal goes. But at the end of the day, we are all just so grateful that no one was more seriously injured.

This is a family-friendly show that should never be the source of any hate. It’s about celebrating dance and making people happy and I look forward to getting back to that next week.

Cheryl also spoke with Entertainment Tonight.

Burke said that her first concern was that the man was armed, and with children in the audience, things could quickly go from bad to tragic. But security rapidly responded to put a stop to the protest.

“I looked up to Ryan and I could tell he was on the verge of tears. I could feel his heart sinking into his stomach – and to be honest, mine was too,” she recalled. “I started getting teary eyed and apparently was shaking… I just wanted to be strong for Ryan.”