'Dancing with the Stars' season 35: Tatyana Ali talks viral 'Fresh Prince' dance and more
Tatyana Ali may be hitting the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom for the first time Wednesday night, but the actress has already received recognition for a viral dance.
Ali, who is known for her role as Ashley Banks on the '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," went viral last year after a clip of her dancing with her co-star Will Smith on the show resurfaced on social media.
In the scene, Ashley dances in her bedroom to music on her Walkman when Smith walks in and surprises her by dancing along.
"I just kind of came up with that dance and we had a very playful rehearsal time," Ali told ABC News for Beyond the Ballroom, a new digital series highlighting the moments that have made each "DWTS" contestant a fan favorite.
She revealed there wasn't actually anything playing in her headphones during the scene, though she recalled listening to Deee-Lite's "World Clique" album around the time the first episodes of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" aired.
The scene later inspired a viral trend set to Doechii's "Anxiety." Ali said Smith texted her after seeing people recreate the dance and asked her to fly to Los Angeles to join him for a new version, with Doechii also getting involved. The TikTok came together in a matter of days, she said.
Ali was on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" for all six seasons of the show. As the youngest cast member when she joined, she said her fellow cast and crew became a support system.
"Those memories for me are, they're in the same place in my brain and my heart as family memories," she said.
One of her cast members on the show was "Dancing with the Stars" co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks and won the season 19 Mirrorball Trophy. Ribeiro famously brought his signature "Carlton" dance to the ballroom during his time as a competitor on the show.
When Ali found out she was joining season 35 of "Dancing with the Stars," she had to keep the news a secret from Ribeiro. Since the cast was revealed on "Good Morning America" earlier this month, however, she said he's been offering advice to her and the other contestants.
"He's been a mentor to me," Ali said. "What he's done in his career has been so amazing so I'm always like a sponge around him, taking it all in."
Ali said she hopes to remain on the show long enough to incorporate Ribeiro into one of her routines with her pro dance partner, Jan Ravnik. She added that Ravnik has been pushing her to try dance moves she didn't think were possible.
"Jan is a great teacher and we get along really well," she said. "He believes I can do a lot of things that I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' And he'll be like, 'try it!' And sometimes, it works, sometimes it doesn't. But he's got this great, positive attitude. And it's like if you can do it, try to do it. So that's inspiring to me."
Ali will perform the jive with Ravnik to "Knock on Wood" by Amii Stewart on night two of the "Dancing with the Stars" season 35 premiere.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ following the two-night premiere. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.
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