Dancing with the Stars – Mary Kennedy steps out with a twinkle in her eyes
By Tiana Binns
As the second week of live performances on Dancing with the Stars kicks off, writer, television personality and former newscaster Mary Kennedy impressed the judges with her energy, but lacked the dance skills they were looking for.
Mary, from Clondalkin, took to the stage along with the other five female celebrity dancers and partnered with professional dancer John Edward Nolan, from Kilkenny, in a foxtrot to the song ‘No Frontiers’ by Mary Black.
Former Nationwide presenter Mary Kennedy with professonal dancer John Nolan (Image: Kyran O’Brien Photography)
Although receiving a score of 13, the lowest of the night, Mary received praise and constructive criticism from the judges.
Loraine enjoyed Mary’s performance and commented on the difficulty of the foxtrot, she said: “You may have retired from a programme, but that was not a retired performance.
You got to work on the length, posture and go through the feet. Foxtrot is the most difficult dance.”
Mary’s biggest strength according to the judges was her genuine enjoyment of the performance, as both Brian and Julian commented on the “sparkle” or “twinkle” they could see in her eyes.
For Brian, however, there needed to be more than that.
“That was flat from start to finish. You do have that sparkle in your eyes which was fabulous to see, but you do have a bit more work to do,” Brian said.
Television presenter Brian Dowling with professonal dancer Laura Nolan during the second live show of Dancing with the Stars (Image: Kyran O’Brien Photography)
Despite the score and notes from the judges, Mary was not discouraged. After her performance with John, she said: “I was very nervous. I was glad to get out there and do the dance as we worked so hard. I was expecting those comments from Brian – sure doesn’t everyone expect it from Brian!”
Last week on Dancing with the Stars, as the first episode of the season started, Lucan dancer Laura Nolan and her partner Big Brother winner Brian Dowling surprised the judges with a salsa dance that earned them a 16-point score.
Olympic boxing gold medallist Michael Carruth, from Walkinstown, and his partner professional dancer Karen Byrne, from Ballyfermot, also performed last week in an American Smooth dance that incorporated an Irish jig, which earned them a score of 12 points from the judges.
Next Sunday will be the start of eliminations on the show, so as tensions start to run high, Mary’s nervousness is sure to be shared amongst many of the rest of the performers.
