Janette Manrara Škorjanec is an American professional dancer and choreographer from Miami, Florida. Originally a Salsa dancer, learning from her Cuban family, she formally studied dance from the age of 19. Manrara is best known for her appearances on the US series So You ThinkYou Can Dance and British dance reality television competition, Strictly Come Dancing. She is also married to Slovenian dancer and co-star Aljaž Škorjanec.
Manrara originally auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance but failed to make it through to the top 20. She auditioned again in season 5 and made it through to the top 20, where she was paired with contemporary dancer Brandon Bryant. Like Manrara, Bryant had come through Las Vegas week during Season 4 only to be cut during the Top 20 selection. During her time on the show, Janette received much praise from the judges; both Mia Michaels and Nigel Lythgoe said Janette was their favorite female dancer that season and Lythgoe went on to say he hoped she would win the entire competition. An Argentine Tango she performed with Bryant was the first dance on Season 5 to receive a standing ovation from the judges. However, Manrara was eliminated during week 7 along with contemporary dancer Jason Glover. During the show's eighth season, Manrara returned as an All Star to perform a Paso Doble with contestant Marko Germar.
In 2013 Manrara became a professional dancer on British TV showStrictly Come Dancing. Her first celebrity partner in the 11th series was fashion designer Julien Macdonald; they were the third couple to be eliminated. She returned for the 12th series and partnered actor Jake Wood, with whom she made it to the Semi-Finals and finished in 5th place overall. For the 13th series, she was paired with TV personality Peter Andre; they were the 9th couple to be eliminated. As well as her main series appearances Manrara has also taken part in one off specials of the show. In 2013 she performed a Quickstep with actor Ricky Norwood on the Christmas special. In 2014 Manrara scored a maximum of 40 points in 'The People's Strictly for Comic Relief' for an American Smooth with, 'Kidz R us' founder, Phillip Barnett. Manrara took part in the 2016 'Strictly Come dancing Live tour' with her series 12 partner Jake Wood. For series 14, she was partnered with radio DJ Melvin Odoom. They were the first couple to be eliminated after receiving the fewest public votes, there was no dance off due to fellow competitor Anastacia's injury. Odoom and Manrara reprised their partnership in the 2016 Christmas special, she also danced with canoeist Joe Clarke in the 2016 Children in Need special. For series 15, she was partnered with former JLS singer Aston Merrygold. They were the sixth couple eliminated in week 7, losing the dance-off to Mollie King and her partner AJ Pritchard. For series 16, she was partnered with children's television and This Morning doctor Dr. Ranj Singh. They were the sixth couple to be eliminated. During her seventh series on the show, in 2019, she was partnered with paralympian, Will Bayley. They had to withdraw from the competition on week 7, after Will sustained a knee injury in rehearsals the previous week.
Series
Partner
Place
Average score
11
Julien Macdonald
13th
20.8
12
Jake Wood
5th
32.1
13
Peter Andre
7th
30.8
14
Melvin Odoom
15th
22.5
15
Aston Merrygold
10th
32.1
16
Dr. Ranj Singh
10th
24.3
17
Will Bayley
10th
25.8
''Strictly Come Dancing'' performances
Series 11
For series 11, Manrara was paired with Julien Macdonald.
Series 12
For series 12, Manrara was paired with Jake Wood.
In week three Guest Judge, Donny Osmond, gave Jake and Janette 8 extra points
Series 13
For series 13, Manrara was paired with Peter Andre.
Series 14
For series 14, Manrara was paired with Melvin Odoom.
Series 15
For series 15, Manrara was paired with Aston Merrygold.
In week 5, Bruno Tonioli was not present, so scores were out of 30
Series 16
For series 16, Manrara was paired with Dr. Ranj Singh.
Series 17
For series 17, Manrara was paired with Paralympic table tennis player Will Bayley. The couple's Contemporary dance, to Lukas Graham's song "7 Years", was dedicated to the patients and staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Bayley had been treated for cancer, aged seven. Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph said the pair "... didn't leave a dry eye in the house after their beautiful, barefoot contemporary dance." Due to a knee injury, sustained when he landed awkwardly after jumping from a raised platform in studio rehearsals, Bayley was unable to perform in week 6. On 30 October it was confirmed that he had withdrawn from the competition.
Dance tours and other professional engagements
Janette took part in the national Strictly Come Dancing - The Live Tour in 2017. In 2018, Janette & Aljaz Skorjanec announced dates for their 2019 UK Tour 'Remembering The Movies'. In October 2018, Janette announced she would be teaching & performing with Aljaž Skorjanec at Donahey's Dancing with The Stars Weekends in 2019.
Other projects
Following her appearance on So You Think You Can Dance, Manrara joined musical TV series, Glee as a principal dancer. She also made her "Burn the Floor - West End" debut at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London on 21 July 2010. Additionally, she was part of the Burn the Floor US cast, which toured the United States from late 2010 through May 2011.
