ABC’s Dancing With the Stars rolled out their fan-favorite Disney Night on Tuesday, and the stars did not disappoint, particularly Ilona Maher.
The 28-year-old Olympic rugby player and her pro Alan Bersten performed a jazz routine to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Surface Pressure from the 2021 Disney film Encanto.
Maher – who revealed last week that she wanted to ‘show pretty much everything’ – performed in a costume inspired by the powerful Encanto character Luisa.
She showed off her strength and grace in the performance, which ended with an epic rendition of Luisa’s donkey lift from the animated film and earned their first 9 of the season.
Her performance resonated with many viewers, including X user @TaylorMeyers13, who said, ‘This is my favorite thing of the night, no matter what. Immaculate parallel/recreation. This is the representation little ones everywhere need!’
@ka_morian0121 added, ‘THERE WAS NOTHING SURFACE PRESSURE ABOUT THAT ROUTINE. BABY @ilona_maher JUST MADE DWTS HISTORY AGAIN !!!! OMG AND @Dance10Alan DONKEY COSTUME LMAOOO !!!!! I LOVE THIS ROUTINE FROM BEGINNING TO END !!!!! ILONA U WOULD ALWAY BE MY LUISA !!!!!’
@05HAWKI tweeted, ‘Holy hell, that dance by @ilona_maher and @Dance10Alan was INCREDIBLE.’
@legutz added, ‘I love Ilona Maher and the way she uses her platform but I hate that she has to talk about her body and her femininity every week on this show.’
@109maddie said, ‘THAT IS MY DANCING QUEEN LUISA I MEAN ILONA ATE DOWN BAD!!! THE PERFECT LUISA IM OBSESSED I WILL BE WATCHING OVER AND OVER!! MY QUEEN @ilona_maher BETTER GET THAT DISNEY 10!!’
@brittanypfore said, ‘Ilona Maher as Luisa is the most perfect choice! [Chef’s kiss].’
@lungareaux said, ‘Ilona shows women that it’s okay to take up space. She is beautiful, funny, strong, and intelligent. And also, a damn good dancer. She’s an absolute delight, and it’s such a blessing to watch her thrive!’
@keenforkeener said, ‘Ilona & Alan got their first 9! I’m so proud of them!’
@supermangeek101 said, ‘Ilona Maher slayed as Luisa as her Jazz dance to Surface Pressure from Encanto was worth the wait! All of the lifts were so incredible as she showcased her strength & her power through her muscles lifting Alan who looked so very cool playing a donkey!’
Even after earning redemption with 8’s across the board from the judges, Maher admitted in rehearsal, ‘I’m still not confident in dance, but I feel myself getting that way.’
When her partner Alan Bersten revealed they were dancing to the Lin-Manuel Miranda song Surface Pressure from Encanto, Maher was thrilled.
‘I really resonate with Luisa. I grew up as a bigger female. She’s big and broad and so strong but she feels so beautiful,’ Maher said in confession.
She told Bersten that Luisa, ‘doesn’t try to shrink herself and make herself small for the world and I love people are seeing that in my as well now.’
Bersten said, ‘The jazz is a lot of lifts and a lot of tricks which is Ilona’s secret weapon. She can do lifts that no one else can do, so we’re going to take full advantage of that this week.’
The rousing performance was praised by everyone in the ballroom, which ended with Ilona’s Luisa lifting Alan as the donkey and putting him on her shoulders.
The judges joked that Alan’s donkey costume was ‘terrifying,’ but they were universal in praise of their routine.
‘Tonight is all about embracing and embodying these iconic characters, and you did just that beautifully,’ judge Derek Hough told Maher and Bersten.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba gave the duo their first 9 of the season, with Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli both giving them 8’s for 25 of 30.
Maher also excelled in the team dance category, chosen as the captain of Team Goofs with Chandler McKinney, Jenn Tran and Joey Grazadei.
They danced to Eye to Eye from The Goofy Movie, and were awarded a 27 out of 30, which was added to everyone’s score.
Dancing With the Stars returns next week – Tuesday, October 29 – for a special Halloween-themed episode.