Emotions to run high on this week's Dancing with the Stars as Dedicated Dance Week returns
Dedicated Dance Week sees the contestants take to the dance floor to perform a routine in tribute to a person, or people, who have made a major impact on their lives. Picture: Kyran O’Brien/kobpix.
Viewers of this Sunday’s Dancing with the Stars are advised to have tissues at the ready as the remaining contestants take part in Dedicated Dance Week.
Dedicated Dance Week sees the contestants take to the dance floor to perform a routine in tribute to a person, or people, who have made a major impact on their lives.
Taekwondo athlete Jack Woolley will dedicate his dance to his friend and two-time gold medal-winning boxer Kellie Harrington after the support she showed him when he suffered a random assault just weeks after his first Olympic appearance in 2021.
Woolley and his professional dancer, Alex Vladimirov will dance an American Smooth to Grace by The Wolfe Tones – a song which has become synonymous with Harrington.
Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Danny O’Carroll will pay tribute to his father, and the show creator, Brendan with a Mrs Brown’s Boys inspired Cha-cha-cha to She’s a Lady by Tom Jones.
The song featured in their 2014 film, Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie.
O’Carroll will reprise his role as Buster Brady for the routine while his pro partner Salome Chachua will bring a whole new level of glam as she becomes Mrs Brown for one night only.
Comedian Gearóid Farrelly and his partner Stephen Vincent will dance a Paso Doble to Holding Out For a Hero by Bonnie Tyler in honour of his own heroes, his parents, Eamon and Deirdre.
Former Miss Universe Ireland Aishah Akorede and her pro partner Robert Rowiński will honour her mother Kemi who has been the biggest influence in her life.
They will honour Akorede and her mother’s Nigerian heritage with an African-inspired Samba to Kese (Dance) by Wizkid.
Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly and pro dancer Maciej Zieba will Tango to Dreams by The Cranberries.
Donelly, who has spoken openly about her previous struggles with fertility and her IVF journey, will talk about Pomegranate, the former charity she set up to help couples in a similar position to her but couldn’t afford the treatment. The dedication will be to a couple who benefitted from the charity.
Having topped the leaderboard last week with the first two perfect tens of the season, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast, Rhys McClenaghan will team up with Laura Nolan to dance a Jive to Gold Dust by DJ Fresh in honour of his coach Luke Carson.
Carson has coached McClenaghan throughout his career from the lows of coming off the pommel horse mid-routine in Tokyo 2020 to achieving his lifelong dream of winning gold in Paris 2024.
Kin actress Yasmin Seky will praise three youth club workers who influenced her - Mary, Phil and Gary - who she has described as the driving force behind encouraging her to take on a career in performing.
When the 2016 movie Sing Street held casting sessions, the youth club workers convinced Seky to audition by singing Halo by Beyoncé. Ultimately, she didn't get the role but the trio played a big part in instilling the confidence in her that she could go for it.
Along with her pro dance partner Simone, Seky will perform the first Rumba of the season to the song she auditioned with.
Social media personality Kayleigh Trappe and her partner Ervinas Merfeldas will dance a Contemporary Ballroom for her four-year-old niece, Fíadh to Brave by Sara Bareilles.
And last but not least, following his Shrek-inspired routine last week, Kevin Dundon will return with Rebecca Scott to dedicate a Tango to his wife, Catherine. They will dance to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance – a song of the era from when Dundon and his wife first met.
None of the celebrities will be eliminated from the show this Sunday night, however, the couple who receive the highest combined points from the judges’ score and public vote will earn immunity from the following week’s first dance-off of the season.
- Dancing with the Stars will return to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday, February 2 at 6.30pm.
