“I want this dance to be dedicated to Cameron, who was a really close friend of mine and co-star,” she said ahead of her performance. “He was in my life for half of my life, which was crazy. We built up this bond for years and years and years.”
“He molded me into the person I am now. Of course I miss him every day, but I have him on my phone case so I get to see him,” Skai added. “It’s sad he’s not here to see it… I know that he would be really proud of me. He loved Dancing With the Stars and dancing.”
Skai and Alan‘s dance even earned them the first 10 of the season, with a total of 28/30 for their performance!
Before the Dancing With The Stars season started airing, Skai shared with fans that Cameron was actually a big reason as to why she decided to do the show.
The 18-year-old Disney Channel star performed the jive with her partner Alan Bersten for Disney night.
Skai and Alan danced to the song “Almost There” from the movie The Princess and the Frog.
“Yall better vote for me again tomorrow,” Skai shared on Twitter the day before, in all caps.
“I’m so excited to be a princess tomorrow. I mean a frog. 🸠anyway @skaijackson killed it this week and I’m super excited for you guys to see tomorrow!!! #teamreachfortheskai,” Alan wrote on Instagram the day before.
The duo’s performance earned them an 18/30 score for the week, a three point improvement from their score the week before.
Skai Jackson’s Jive – ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Skai Jackson hit the dance floor for her second performance on Dancing With The Stars on Tuesday evening (September 22) from Los Angeles.
The 18-year-old danced a Samba with partner Alan Bersten to the song “Miss Independent” by Ne-Yo.
Skai and Alan‘s performance earned them a 15/30 this week, for a combined total with week one of 36/60.
“😂 I didn’t realize I pulled his hair! Sorry @alanbersten We’ll make up for that slip next week! #TeamReachForTheSkai,” Skai captioned a video on Instagram later that night.
Ahead of their second dance, Alan took to Instagram to share how proud of Skai he was.
“I’m so proud of you @skaijackson you put in so much hard work and tomorrow everyone will get to see! I have so much fun dancing with you everyday and honestly I’m so lucky to have you as my partner! Let’s go out there tomorrow and show them what we got! #teamreachfortheskai,” he wrote.
Skai Jackson hit the dance floor for her first dance on the season 29 premiere of Dancing With The Stars on Monday (September 14) from Los Angeles.
The 18-year-old Disney star performed the tango with her partner Alan Bersten.
Skai‘s dancing really impressed the judges, earning her the first sevens of the night, for a total of 21/30!
Skai and Alan‘s tango was danced to Nicki Minaj‘s song “Super Bass.”
“I think we nailed it! @dancingabc,” Skai wrote on Instagram.
“I had a blast dancing … make sure you guys vote for me next week!!” she added on Twitter.
Skai recently opened up about dancing and bringing the energy on the dance floor.
“I feel like when you’re dancing, especially how we’re doing it on live television, you need to give that energy to the camera which is mainly with your face,” she told EW. “You can be doing the dance moves 100% but if your face looks confused it might ruin the dance. That’s something that me and my dance partner have been working on a lot — serving face with confidence and with that energy that people can read on-screen and off-screen.”
With DWTS premiering today (September 14), Witney took to Instagram to share that she won’t be dancing for the first time in eight years, but she will of course be cheering everyone on.
“Watching the Dancing With The Stars premiere at home this year with baby boy. First time in 8 years I haven’t been apart of the show 😠It is bittersweet and I’m definitely missing dancing for you all, but I am so grateful to be growing my little human miracle. ✨💙🥰 Wishing my friends luck tonight, and I can’t wait to cheer everyone on! @dancingabc #23weekspregnant #dwts #dwtspremiere,” she captioned a photo of her bump on Instagram.
“Good luck to all the @DancingABC contestants tonight!! Can’t wait to watch you and cheer you on! #dwtspremiere #dwts,” Witney added on Twitter.
The day before, Witney shared a photo with a few friends who are also pregnant, including her fellow Dancing With The Stars pro Lindsay Arnold, who’s expecting a baby girl.
“Best time of our lives ✨ can’t wait to take this photo when we have our babies!” she captioned the pic.
The 35-year-old six time mirror ball winner will be taking Len Goodman‘s place on the judges’ panel.
Since there are travel restrictions between the US and the UK, Len is unable to make it to be a judge this season. He will still provide some of his expertise throughout the season from the UK.
“This show has been and will always be incredibly special to me. Coming back feels like coming home and I couldn’t be more excited to be back in the ballroom,†Derek said in a statement.
“Cats out of the bag:) Looking forward to being Back in the Ballroom. This show has and will always be incredibly special to me,” Derek wrote on Instagram. “This show has gifted me with so many memories and priceless experiences. Amazing relationships, growth, triumphs, failures, struggles, fears, celebrations, fun and just pure entertainment.”
“I look forward to returning as a judge. I hope to be fair, fun, encouraging, honest, helpful, compassionate and I look forward to watching these amazing journeys unfold. See you soon. And good luck to all the competitors this season. Work Hard! Have Fun!” he added.
Derek has of course won the show six times, most recently with Bindi Irwin. His sister Julianne has also moved from being a pro dancer to a judge on the series.
Skai Jackson wears a purple outfit while arriving at a dance studio on Thursday (September 3) in Los Angeles.
The 18-year-old author and Disney Channel star’s rumored Dancing With The Stars pro partner Alan Bersten was also seen arriving at the studio that day.
If you didn’t know, purple is actually the color for Epilepsy awareness, a cause that Skai holds close to her heart. Her friend and late co-star Cameron Boyce passed away due to an epileptic seizure.
The day before, it was officially announced that Skai would be a part of the celebrity lineup competing for the mirror ball trophy this season.
Skai shared the news on her Instagram account with the caption, “Get ready! 💃🽠via @goodmorningamerica”
One fan commented on the post saying, “Honestly Cameron would’ve been so proud💕â¤ï¸,” to which Skai responded, “the biggest reason why I’m doing it.” Aww!
