Dancing With The Stars: Julia Stiles Honors Dolly Parton With “9 to 5” Dance
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Night Two of the Dancing With the Stars Season 35 premiere saw a tribute to Dolly Parton and a heartbreaking elimination.
The latest season of Dancing With the Stars kicked off with a two-night premiere. The first night (Sept. 15) featured the male celebrities and their professional partners dancing to songs that were Billboard No. 1 hits the year they were born.
RELATED: DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 35 PREMIERE EPISODE ENDS WITH UNEXPECTED ELIMINATION
Night two marked the debut of this season’s female celebrities and their professional partners, who were tasked with the same challenge.
Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” served as the backdrop for the night’s best dance.
Actress Julia Stiles and her partner, Ezra Sosa, delivered a flawless Quickstep to the Dolly classic. Written and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1980, “9 to 5” served as the title track to a film and television series of the same name.
In 1981, “9 to 5” topped the Billboard Country Chart, making it her only solo No. 1 (she later landed there again with her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands In The Stream”).
The Dolly tune also earned her an Academy Award nomination and two Grammy Awards, making it one of her most recognizable and loved hits.
In the wake of Dolly Parton’s death on August 25, the inclusion of her song on the Dancing With the Stars premiere made for a special moment for viewers and for actress Julia Stiles, who chose the song.
Stiles shared that Dolly approved the use of “9 to 5” roughly two weeks before her death.
“It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me,” Stiles said. “I’m so honored to be dancing to her music. I’m honoring her legacy and I want to make her proud.”
The judges had high praise for Stiles and Sosa’s performance, saying that is was “elegant and graceful.”
“You are absolutely beaming,” judge Derek Hough told her. “What a beautiful, fantastic dance.”
Was it enough for Julia Stiles to avoid elimination on Wednesday night? Her scores earned her a spot at the top of the leaderboard. The judges’ scores combined with viewer votes will determine the final standings. One female dancer will be sent home at the end of the episode. Check back for results.
Watch Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa dance a Quickstep to “9 to 5” below.
