After Ilona Maher's Viral Dirty Dancing Lift on DWTS, I enjoy her reaction to young women who saw her redefining "stereotypes" at the Olympics and now • stonescape

I've never been a committed person Dancing with the stars Fan, but US Olympian Ilona Maher could change that for me, at least when it comes to the season currently airing on the 2024 TV schedule. It seems I'm not the only one either, because thanks to TikTok, I've seen more viral moments turned into trends than ever before. Danny Amendola and Witney Carson's floor lift, for example, led to many making videos attempting to recreate it, including Maher. However, the rugby player had an appearance of her own that caught the internet's attention, and now she's reflecting on the inspiring incident.

Audiences were shocked in week 2 by Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten Dirty dancing Routine; I know I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Dancing to “Time of My Life,” people anticipated the film’s viral rise. What they didn't expect was that Alan turned Ilona over and then she turned around and picked him up in the same way.

It's rare for a woman to lift a man in a ballroom dance, and fans had wanted Maher and Bersten to do the same. In the end it was magical and I completely understand why it was a highlight for the rugby player, as she said THR:

It's interesting that this is one of my favorite moments, but when we did that dirty dancing lift when he [Bersten] picked me up and I think everyone's like, “That's so cool.” “Alan picked up Ilona.” And then when I picked him up, I noticed the crowd was so loud that I got a little frantic because they were so excited to see this. And I really like that because I think it's so cool that we create dances that, even though I'm very strong and tall, I still feel very feminine.

Ilona Maher's Oscars Night Salsa – Dancing with the Stars – YouTube
After Ilona Maher's Viral Dirty Dancing Lift on DWTS, I enjoy her reaction to young women who saw her redefining “stereotypes” at the Olympics and now

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With each episode you can see Maher's confidence in dancing growing. She explained that when she signed up for the show, she wasn't worried about the physical challenge, but rather that the mental game proved more difficult. That makes sense, because the movement in rugby couldn't be more different than in dancing. So I'm just glad she found a partner who will support her unconditionally and help her redefine stereotypes, all on national television.

As the season progressed, Maher definitely became a role model for young girls with larger, more muscular bodies and achieved fan-favorite status in her performances danced out as Luisa Encanto for Disney night. Despite this, the duo achieved one of their highest scores in this episode Alan's slightly frightening makeupand the moment went viral as her Dirty dancing Elevator did.

The lines are blurred with Luisa and Ilona, who both prove to be beautiful, strong and smart young women who carry many perceptions of others on their backs, not all of which are true. It's something that's close to the Olympian's heart, and it's a point she's been trying to make since she made her first public appearance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. At this point, she thought about the message she wanted to send to her fans and said:

I always just try to emphasize that you are so much more than the stereotypes that people sometimes put you into. I've always just found it as an athlete, as an athlete, no matter what sport I played or whatever… I was always told that you have to be this and this and this, and I was like, well, I don't feel I'm like that or I'm not like that, but I still love this sport. I love who I am. I have the title “Beast Beauty Brains” because I believe that I can be a beast on the field but I also feel so beautiful when I'm out there like I'm wearing lipstick and I feel really pretty and I love dressing up I stand up and show off my femininity and beauty while wearing a dress and flaunting my big shoulders and muscles. And then the brain is just like, I love being smart. I love having knowledge and sharing it with others. So I think people will constantly try to define you or stereotype you, but it's such a small picture that they paint and you're so much bigger.

Ilona's strength earned her big points Dancing with the stars and on the field this summer when she led the U.S. women's rugby team to its first-ever Olympic medal. However, when she dances, she also shows her more feminine side and proves that she can do just about anything.

She's also so unapologetically herself and has a cheeky sense of humor and I absolutely love it. Honestly, she's more than a role model for girls, she's an inspiration to anyone who refuses to let society define how they should express their gender orientation and what they can and can't do based on their body type.

I think one of my favorite BTS moments she shared was when she revealed herself her TikTok that in Week 5 she turned to costume design and asked to be “as naked as is allowed on national television” after seeing all the other girls allowed to show so much skin. With the body of a Greek goddess and muscles like that, I can't blame her. And of course she killed.

@ilonamaher ♬ Original sound – Ilona Maher

I really hope Ilona and Alan make it to the finals. They deserve it, but selfishly I never want their TikTok collaborations to end. However, there is a big challenge ahead of them: the Cha-Cha Historically, it has been a difficult dance nail. However, she has the determination to make it and fans will be ready to support her.

Tune in to see Ilona Maher continue to dance and inspire DWTS on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription. But no matter how far they make it, something tells me that Ilona and Alan will remain best friends and role models long after Season 33 ends.

After Ilona Maher's Viral Dirty Dancing Lift on DWTS, I enjoy her reaction to young women who saw her redefining “stereotypes” at the Olympics and now

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