Disappointment for Karen after elimination from show
By Aideen O'Flaherty
BALLYFERMOT dancer Karen Byrne is the latest Dancing with the Stars competitor who has to hang up her dancing shoes on this year’s series, after her celebrity partner Darren Kennedy was eliminated from the competition on Sunday, while Tallaght men Denis Bastick and Johnny Ward are set to continue wowing the audience.
The theme of Sunday night’s show was focused on Memorable Years creating a walk down memory lane for the competitors on the RTÉ show, leading to a variety of creative and involving dance routines.
Darren Kennedy and Karen Byrne dancing during the fifth live show
Dublin GAA star and Glenview native Denis Bastick danced to ‘The Power’ by SNAP! alongside his dance partner Valeria Milova, as the song reminds the sportsman of his journey to Croke Park when he got to lift the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time.
Commenting on the Charleston dance, judge Julian Benson said: “Denis Bastick you’ve got the power!
“All the tricks, all the power, all the energy…you have come a million miles since the start of the competition, this week you were on fire!”
Fellow judge Brian Redmond was equally impressed, remarking: “The lifts were very impressive, and [there were] lots of them.
“The quality of your footwork was good, the only downside is that it’s still a little bit robotic.
“Tonight, it’s Memorable Years, and of this year, that’s your most memorable dance.”
Denis scored an impressive 23 points from the three judges.
Actor and Greenhills man Johnny Ward relived his time in a Boyzone tribute band when he took to the stage with his dance partner Emily Barker, to perform a cha-cha-cha to the boyband’s hit song ‘Picture of You’.
On Sunday, Johnny said that it was “hands down the most difficult week of this competition. When I saw the dance on Monday I just said, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.”
Judge Loraine Barry said: “You are a dancer and you have great moves, but for me the cha-cha-cha has a Cuban action in it…it’s not an authentic cha-cha-cha for me.”
Fellow judge Brian Redmond had a lukewarm response to the dance, commenting: “Everything is a hit on the beat, but it just doesn’t have enough character.
“Really try and find the essence of each of the dances and then you have a chance of getting those really high scores.”
The three judges gave Johnny 20 points for this energetic performance.
Professional dancer and Ballyfermot woman Karen Byrne did an energetic salsa alongside her celebrity partner, fashion supremo Darren Kennedy, to Ricky Martin’s ‘Maria’ as Darren idolised the Puerto Rican singer when he was a teenager.
Their performance scored an 18 from the judges, but ultimately Darren and Karen were the third duo to lose their place in the competition, with Darren exclaiming that he was going to book a holiday after it was revealed that he was eliminated.
The next episode in the series will air this Sunday, February 10, at 6.30pm on RTÉ One.
