Dancing with the Stars: Celebrities reveal their 'Dedicated Dance' for this week's show

This Sunday will be an emotional night on Dancing with the Stars as the remaining eight couples take part in ‘Dedicated Dance’ Week.

Sunday evening will see all eight couples take to the floor to perform a routine in tribute to people who have had a major impact on their lives.

Drag queen Panti Bliss will put her alter ego aside for the first time this season and instead perform as Rory O’Neill alongside his pro dancer, Denys Samson. Rory’s dedication will be to Professor Fiona Mulcahy, one of the first doctors who treated him when he was diagnosed as HIV Positive in the early 90s. They will perform a Paso Doble to the Pet Shop Boys’ It’s a Sin.

Rugby legend Shane Byrne, who has been entertaining audiences for the last five weeks with his comedic turns alongside his partner Karen Byrne, will be aiming to show a completely different side when he dances a Viennese Waltz to the Queen classic We Are the Champions in honour of his friend and former teammate, Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley who passed away suddenly in 2016.

Sunday night will also be a family affair, as television presenter and entrepreneur Suzanne Jackson and her professional partner Michael Danilczuk dedicate their Cha-cha-cha to Suzanne’s parents who celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary this year. They will dance to Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What a Feeling – one of the biggest hits of 1983. Meanwhile, singer Brooke Scullion and her partner Robert Rowiński will honour her mother, Tracy, with a Viennese Waltz to Kelly Clarkson’s Breakaway.

2FM Breakfast host Carl Mullan and Emily Barker will dedicate their Jive to Coldplay’s Higher Power to Carl’s son, Daibhí, while comedian Kevin McGahern and Laura Nolan will be dancing their Paso Doble to Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit in honour of Kevin’s daughter, Wallis.

Singer and actor Damian McGinty will reflect on his time on the popular American TV show Glee as he and his partner Kylee Vincent dedicate their Contemporary Ballroom to the friends he made on the show. They will dance to Becky Hill’s version of Forever Young.

Footballer Stephanie Roche and Ervinas Merfeldas will also dance Contemporary Ballroom, to the Rachel Platten hit Fight Song. Their dance is in honour of Stephanie’s teammates on the Republic of Ireland Women’s team, with a focus on a point in their career in 2017 when she and twelve of her fellow players threatened to strike.

With it being such a special night in the ballroom, no one will be eliminated from the show on Sunday night. However, the competition is still on, as the couple to 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 is on Sunday at 6:30pm on RTÉ One.