Fans of “Dancing With the Stars” are preparing for an emotional night when this week’s show features “Dedication Night.”
This will be particularly true for fans of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” given that “DWTS” host Alfonso Ribeiro will be participating in former co-star Tatyana Ali‘s special dance dedicated to the late James Avery, who portrayed their father in the hit 1990s TV show.
An Emotional Tribute
Ahead of “Dedication Night,” Ribeiro took to Instagram to share his feelings on the upcoming tribute.
“I couldn’t let the day pass without taking a moment to thank @tatyanaali and @janravnik for inviting me to be a part of their dance for dedication night,” he wrote in the caption, referencing Ali’s dance partner Jan Ravnik.
“It is such an immense honor getting to not only share the stage with my little sis on this show I love so much but to be able to pay tribute to our TV dad, James Avery. This is a moment I will forever hold so dearly,” he continued.
“Hope you all enjoy our dance and the love and effort put into tonight by all our couples,” Ribeiro added.
‘I Really Want to Honor Him’
During Tuesday night’s episode, Ali will dedicate her Viennese waltz with Ravnik to Avery.
Discussing the tribute in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she described the late actor — who passed away in 2013 at the age of 68 — as “the heart of [‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’].”
In fact, when it came time to choose a person to honor in “Dedication Night,” she had zero hesitation.
“And I’m on this show with Alfonso, 30-something years later after we did ‘Fresh Prince’ together when we were really kids, and when I heard about this ‘Dedication Night,’ there’s nobody else I thought of: It had to be James.” she shared.
Ali has kept details of the dance under wraps, but has revealed that she and Ravnik will be performing to a recording of Ali herself singing a cover of Nancy Wilson’s “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am.”
“It’s been emotional and really painstaking, but in a good way,” she told THR of preparing for the dance. “I want this to be the best one.”
Avery continues to hold an important place in her memories. “There’s not anywhere that I go, if somebody recognizes me or comes up to talk to me about ‘Fresh Prince,’ they always bring up James,” she explained. “He was the heart of the show. He was a mentor to me. Everything I am as an artist had to do with all the things I learned while working with him. He was that kind of person who just shared his passion for the arts with the people that he loved.”
In that interview, she confirmed Ribeiro’s involvement in the routine, and revealed he won’t be the only “Fresh Prince” co-star joining in.
“Yes, Alfonso will be there. There are definitely going to be some cast members there, but people are working out their schedules to be able to be there. So I can’t say exactly who, but it should be a really special night. Some of James’ family is also traveling and planning to be there as well,” she said.
“I really want to honor him,” Ali added. “I always want the performance to be a love letter to him. I feel like when we tell stories about the people that we’ve loved and lost in our life, we keep them alive. I know he meant a lot to people, just like he meant to me. I hope people feel that.”
Fans can watch the performance during the October 20 edition of “Dancing With the Stars,” airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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Alfonso Ribeiro On ‘Immense Honor’ of Reuniting With Tatyana Ali For ‘DWTS’ Tribute to Late ‘Fresh Prince’ Dad James Avery