tatyana ali dancing with the stars
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The gist
Actress Tatyana Ali will perform a Viennese waltz honoring James Avery on Dancing with the Stars' Dedication Night.
Avery played her TV father; former castmate Alfonso Ribeiro is set to join.
Background
Tatyana Ali is an actress and a contestant on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Jan Ravnik; she played Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. James Avery, who played Philip Banks — widely remembered as Uncle Phil — on that series, is the honoree of her Dedication Night dance. The tribute is part of the season's Dedication Night, with 10 couples remaining and Kym Johnson as guest judge. Alfonso Ribeiro, the DWTS cohost and a former Fresh Prince castmate, is confirmed to appear in the performance.
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2026ABC's Dedication Night announcement named the ten remaining couples, their dances and their songs, but held back Ali's honoree until the next day.
- Oct 15, 2026The official DWTS podcast, hosted by Andy Richter, featured Ali and Ravnik in its Week 5 discussion, and reporting identified the tribute as a remembrance of James Avery. Ali also posted on Instagram: "My @dancingwiththestars dedication night dance is to James Avery."
- Oct 18, 2026Interview-based reporting said Alfonso Ribeiro would join Ali and Ravnik in the performance.
- Oct 19, 2026A confirmed update reported Ribeiro appeared with Ali and Ravnik in an official rehearsal video, and Ali says she plans to prerecord her own singing of "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am."
- Oct 20, 2026Scheduled Dedication Night episode at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, where Ali and Jan Ravnik are to perform a Viennese waltz honoring James Avery; the performance is upcoming and not yet scored.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- ABC's announcement listed the ten couples, dances and songs for Dedication Night, with Ali's honoree revealed the following day.
- Support
- Ali described the dance as honoring Avery, saying "Everything I believe about being an artist, was learned at his feet."
Still unverified
The exact on-air audio arrangement and Ribeiro's staging have not yet been established; ABC listed Nancy Wilson for the song while Ali says she plans recorded vocals, and the final mix is unconfirmed.