Nyle DiMarco is the second-ever deaf contestant on Dancing With the Stars—which makes it especially important that he and professional partner Peta Murgatroyd are able to communicate incredibly well.
The new pair have been rehearsing for about a week already, and Peta tells E! News' Erin Lim after the DWTS season 22 cast's big reveal on Good Morning Americ that she's begun to learn American Sign Language. "It's been so interesting and such a great learning experience. We've had six days to get to know one another. I'm learning sign language now," she tells us.
But she and Nyle are already connecting on a very deep level. "I love the connection that we have because it's so visual," Peta says. "It's so much more trusting in a sense because we both rely on each other so much because he can't hear the music."
Di Marco, who is the first deaf winner of America's Next Top Model, tells us that he's hoping to educate everyone about what deaf people can do. "I'm looking forward to changing the world's perspective on deaf people—that we actually can dance too," he says. "You don't have to be able to hear the music."
Nyle has also been learning—Peta has had to teach him the very basics of dance, since he had literally zero experience going in to this season of DWTS. "Growing up, I had no knowledge of dancing," he confesses. "I think that could be a good thing! She can mold me and make me into a good dancer."
Press play on the video above to find out what dance is Nyle's favorite so far (spoiler alert: it's the only one he's had time to learn), whether Peta is looking forward to Len Goodman's return to the judges' table, and how her wedding planning with fiancé Maks Chmerkovskiy is going.
Dancing With the Stars season 22 premieres Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. on ABC.