Dancing with the Stars Season 35 contestant Tatyana Ali has announced that she will be performing a tribute to her late Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star James Avery during next week’s Dedication Night. The actress is dancing a Viennese waltz with her partner Jan Ravnik.
Tatyana Ali to Honor James Avery on DWTS
Actor James Avery famously played the character Philip Banks, or Uncle Phil, on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Phil was the father of Tatyana Ali’s character Ashley, as well as DWTS co-host Alfonso Ribeiro’s character Cartlon.
Sadly, Avery passed away in 2013 at the age of 68. On Tuesday’s new Dedication Night episode of DWTS, Ali will dance a Viennese waltz in tribute to Avery with her partner Jan Ravnik, set to the song “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” by Nancy Wilson.
“Everything I believe about being an artist, was learned at his feet. I loved him very much and I know many of you did too,” Ali wrote about Avery on Instagram in a post announcing the tribute. “James loved Jazz music and Nancy Wilson was one of his favorites.”
Tatyana Ali went on to say that the lyrics to Wilson’s song “are perfect for the way I feel” about Avery, adding, “I am elated that I’ve made it far enough in this competition to be able to honor him.”
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What Other Dances Can We Expect?
During Dedication Night, each remaining celebrity in the competition will perform a dance routine dedicated to someone important in their life. In addition to Tatyana Ali, the details of the other celebrities’ dances have been revealed ahead of Tuesday’s new episode.
Julia Stiles and her partner Ezra Sosa will honor her late 10 Things I Hate About You co-star Heath Ledger with a contemporary routine to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli. Harry Shum Jr. will pay tribute to his wife Shelby by dancing a foxtrot with Jenna Johnson to “Stop This Train” by John Mayer.
Jackson Olson and Emma Slater will dance a quickstep to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole, dedicated to Olson’s mom. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess’ contemporary routine to “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran will be dedicated to mothers everywhere.
Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy will dance Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers, dedicated to Dewan’s mother. Connor Wood will honor his dad by dancing a Viennese waltz to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. Ezra Frech will pay tribute to his mom by dancing a contemporary routine to “Bloodline” by Mon Rovia with his partner Daniella Karagach.
Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov will also dance a contemporary routine in honor of Glenn’s sister, set to “Breathe Me” by Sia. And finally, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas will dance a paso doble dedicated to Higgins’ home country of Ireland, set to “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys.
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Are you excited to watch Dedication Night on DWTS next week? Which couple’s dance are you most looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments below.
