Tatyana Ali turns DWTS Dedication Night into tribute to James Avery

Tatyana Ali is turning her next Dancing With the Stars dance into a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion.

The season 35 contestant will perform a Viennese waltz dedicated to the late James Avery on Dedication Night, the annual episode where couples honour someone who shaped their lives, she told The Hollywood Reporter. Her former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro will join her on the floor.

Ali will dance with partner Jan Ravnik, a former Taylor Swift Eras Tour dancer, to a recording of herself singing Nancy Wilson's "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am." She said Avery was the only person she considered for the dedication. No contest.

Avery played her television father, Philip Banks, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as noted in a Dancing With the Stars post. Ali described him as one of her greatest teachers in a personal post. She told The Hollywood Reporter she still leans on what she learned from him.

Ribeiro now co-hosts Dancing With the Stars, which he won as a contestant in season 19. Ali said he had talked to her about the dance contest for years. His presence as host was a big part of her decision to finally say yes. She had been asked before but turned it down because her children were babies.

Now Ribeiro will go one step further. He will join Ali and Ravnik as a special guest performer in the Viennese waltz, according to the show's official account. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Ali ahead of Dedication Night about the tribute and working with Ravnik.

What makes this stand out is the overlap. A co-star turned host helped bring her to the ballroom. Another co-star, now gone, is the reason for her most personal dance. The routine pairs a classic ballroom style with her own vocal recording. For viewers who grew up with the Banks family, it lands in one dance.