This season’s Dedication Night on “Dancing with the Stars” delivered a very emotional Tuesday night. Each celebrity got to choose one special person in their lives to honor and dedicate their dance to.
Many of these people participated and even danced along with the celebrities and their pros. We saw everything from co-stars, friends, siblings, parents, and partners all have a dance dedicated to them by their loved one. It was a great opportunity for the audience to see the closeness between the celebrities and their loved ones; and also a special night for the celebrities’ loved ones to have a dance dedicated to them on such a big stage.
One of the most anticipated dances of the night was Robert Irwin and his partner Witney Carson who performed a contemporary dance style. There was not a single dry eye in the ballroom floor as Irwin dedicated his dance to his mother, who he claims was there when he wished his father could be. Irwin’s father, Steve Irwin passed away in 2006 when Irwin was only 2 years old. He has since followed in his parents footsteps as a wildlife conservationist. The contemporary dance performed to “You’ll Be in My Heart” from the 1990 Disney film, “Tarzan”. This dance showed the emotions of grief; however, while Robert was up in the sky box he made note that this dance was dedicated to his mother Terri Irwin and all the mothers out there.
The emotions continued to run across the whole ballroom as Dylan Efron performed a contemporary style dance to “Rewrite the Stars” sung by Zendaya and his older brother Zac Efron. He dedicated his dance to his little sister. Emotions piled as he glided along the dance floor and picked his sister up in the sky. The judges continue to be in awe of Efron’s ability to learn the proper technique for each style dance he performs, a big credit to his pro Daniella Karagach. Dylan has made it known that he wants to be his own person and not always be associated with his brother Zac. His success on “Dancing with the Stars” so far has really made a big impression on his talent and ability to adapt to any challenge given to him. The pair earned their first nine’s of the season and finished the night at the top of the leaderboard.
In a surprise announcement, Grammy award winning singer Scott Hoying shared Tuesday night that he and his husband will be expecting their first child together via surrogate. Hoying went on to dance a fox trot with partner Rylee Arnold dedicated to his husband. This was such a big moment not only for the Hoying family, but for the LGBTQIA community, as we had two men having the opportunity to reveal that they will be expecting their first child together on national television.
Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles, who has danced gracefully the last couple weeks after a rough start from week one, dedicated her special dance to her father. She credits her father for being the inspiration to her start in gymnastics. She performed a Viennese waltz with partner Ezra Sosa. Many daughters and fathers can take away a piece of this dance and apply it to their lives as well. The love of a father always being there for his daughter, and a daughter being grateful for her fathers love and security.
Nostalgia was running high in the room as actresses Danielle Fishel and Elaine Hendrix both dedicated their special dances to their fellow co-stars. Fishel danced a jive with partner Pasha Pashkov dedicated to her co-star William Daniels, better known as “Mr. Feeny” from “Boy Meets World.” Hendrix dedicated her foxtrot with partner Alan Bersten to lifelong friend and co-star Lisa Ann Walter who both starred in “The Parent Trap.” This was such a special night to honor not only co-stars but lifelong friends. They spread the message of longevity and friendship.
The ballroom was filled with love and warmth after watching all the celebs and their pros perform their dedication dances. The show ended on an even brighter note as the night concluded with no elimination for Week 5. This means all ten remaining couples from this week will get the chance to compete another week for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. It was an amazing night to see the pros dive into a different side emotionally and in a technicality sense. This night is so important for the fans to see what pro they want to support till the end and the story they are telling throughout the season. The judges scores and viewer votes will carry onto next week’s scores which will be a Wicked themed night.
