Daniel Durant 'So Happy' With Response to Silent Moment in 'DWTS' Routine

Dancing With the Stars contestant Daniel Durant has spoken to Newsweek about his incredibly moving performance on the latest episode of the show.

The Disney+ ballroom competition returned to screens earlier this year for Season 31 with the actor, who is deaf, being partnered up with professional dancer Britt Stewart.

The pair have so far impressed judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli with their weekly performances but it was their dance on Monday's episode (November 7) that left the panel, and viewers at home, stunned.

Durant, 32, and Stewart, 33, brought the judges and audience to tears with their emotional 90s-themed jazz routine, which included a portion where the pair danced without music.

Halfway through their performance to "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode the music cut out, as Durant explained, to "give the audience and the judges an idea of what it's like to dance from a deaf perspective."

The dance earned the pair a near-perfect score of 39 out of 40 and their first tens of the season.

"How people reacted meant a lot to me," Durant, who starred in the Oscar-winning film CODA in 2021, told Newsweek after the emotional moment. "Britt and I discussed taking the sound out for a while and I've seen other pros with their partner and they talk during their dance, they count out steps. I've also seen Britt dancing and when we first practiced with cutting out the sound, she stopped when the sound stopped."

"It's interesting because it was just different for me. People can't dance without music, I guess, or it's not the normal thing. So I wanted to take that moment and show my perspective, what it's like dancing without music because that's what I've been doing the whole show," Durant said.

"It felt great, seeing the world's reaction. I felt like I got a bit of understanding from people and I'm just so happy to show my story at the same time."

Durant also spoke about his dynamic with his partner, Stewart, describing her as "such an amazing person."

"I almost forget that, on the first day, I was so anxious because I didn't know who my partner would be," the actor said. "As soon as the door opened and I laid eyes on Britt and I could see her smiling and feel her warmth I knew that we would be a great team."

Durant also said that Stewart has been learning American Sign Language and is picking it up "so quickly."

"We can talk on our own and Britt's the only pro on Dancing With the Stars who can sign like that and I feel like she's the only one that would have done that for me," he said.

The judging panel was full of praise for Durant and Stewart after their dance, with Inaba telling the actor: "I want you to know that you are saving so many people out there right now by sharing your experience this way and teaching us what it is to be deaf."

Tonioli said: "I'm telling you, Daniel, the world is proud of you. It was like magic, we felt the sound of silence and we were all mesmerized. What you do out here is so special. It is a gift to us."

Hough, who broke down in tears while giving his feedback, said: "That was so insanely powerful."

Following the performance, Durant and Stewart sailed through to the Dancing With the Stars 2022 semi-finals, where they will compete against Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater, Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy, Wayne Brady and Witney Carson, and Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas.

The latest episode featured a double elimination that saw Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev, and Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki, sent home, just missing out on the 2022 semis.

Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+. Episodes will be available to stream an hour after their original airing.