Derry's Brooke Scullion and Damian McGinty and 'Derry Girls' Leah O'Rourke light up week two of 'Dancing with the Stars'
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All 11 celebrities and their professional partners took to the dancefloor on Sunday evening, where the female celebrities brought out their best Ballroom dances and the men performed Latin routines.The first celebrity to take to the dancefloor was Derry singer and Eurovision star Brooke Scullion with her partner Maurizio Benenato. The couple, who topped the leader board last week with the highest-ever score for a first dance, danced a Quickstep to Love Machine by Girls Aloud.Judges Loraine Barry, Brian Redmond and Arthur Gourounlian gave their verdict.
Loraine said: "What a way to open the show! You have set the bar way high tonight, guys!"Arthur told them: "You said you were scared of Quickstep - Quickstep should be scared of you! Love machine? Oh baby, you’re a dance machine!"Brian added: "I did think it was a little bit tense through the body … If you can relax the body and keep the energy up, it will be a real winner."Brooke and Maurizio scored 23 points from the judges.
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Hide AdThe second couple to perform were Derry singer and actor Damian McGinty and his partner Kylee Vincent. Their energetic Salsa, with an impressive lift by Damian, was danced to Acapulco by Jason Derulo.Arthur told the pair: “Wow, that was terrific! You showed that you're versatile. The one thing I’ll say is you need to work on your freestyle … just be dramatic, go wild!”Brian added: “The boy from Derry bringing Salsa to the nation on a wintery Sunday night - what more could you ask for? About as summery as a sangria on a sunbed!”Loraine continued: “The interaction you have and the spin and the timing you have - I thought it was terrific. You need to be just a little bit more seamless in the transitions, but you guys are rocking it!”Damian and Kylee scored 20 points from the judges.
Derry Girls star Leah O’Rourke and her pro partner John Nolan had great fun performing an American Smooth to This Will be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole.Brian told them: "It’s not called Stepping with the Stars. You can’t walk your way through an American Smooth. You need a lot more power."Loraine added: "You’ve got to let yourself go a little more, Leah."Arthur said: "Not one, not two, but three lifts! You should have been gliding on the floor, you're a little bit stompy. I think you have a lot to give, still."Leah and John scored 10 from the judges.Dr Marie Cassidy and her partner Stephen Vincent scored 16, Kevin McGahern and Laura Nolan scored 21; Stephanie Roche and Ervinas Merfeldas scored 13; Shane Byrne and Karen Byrne scored 12; Paul Brogan and his pro partner Salome Chachua scored a total of 14; Panti Bliss and Denys Samson scored 19; Suzanne Jackson and Michael Danilczuk scored 25; Carl Mullan and Emily Barker scored 23.All votes from shows one and two will carry forward to next week, at the end of which, the first couple will be eliminated.