why did jordan chiles cover her mouth dwts

Jordan Chiles covered her mouth during her "Dancing with the Stars" tango performance as part of an artistic portrayal of anxiety. Her partner, Ezra Sosa, covered her mouth to “silence” her, paralleling the lyrics of the song "Anxiety" by Doechii. This move symbolized the control anxiety has over her, which gradually loosened during the dance as she overcame the emotion by the end of the performance. The dance was a powerful storytelling piece expressing the struggle with anxiety through movement and was praised for turning anxiety into artistry, which also moved Chiles to tears during the performance.