Key Takeaways
- Tatyana Ali and partner Jan Ravnik honored late Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star James Avery with a Viennese waltz on Dancing with the Stars’ Dedication Night.
- Ali sang Nancy Wilson’s “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” for the routine, which ended with Alfonso Ribeiro joining her and earned a score of 32 out of 40.
- Ali called Avery a father figure who taught her to treat performance as a form of contribution, while Ribeiro described the tribute as an opportunity to thank the actor, who died in 2013.
Tatyana Ali returned to the world that made her famous during Dancing with the Stars, reuniting with Alfonso Ribeiro to honor the man who helped shape both of their careers. For Dedication Night, Ali and professional partner Jan Ravnik performed a Viennese waltz in memory of James Avery, their late Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star.
According to Page Six, Ribeiro joined them midway through the routine, bringing Ashley, Carlton and Uncle Phil back into the same frame more than three decades after the Banks family first entered America’s living rooms.
The performance was set to Nancy Wilson’s “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” with Ali recording the vocals herself. Her costume was inspired by Eartha Kitt, whom Avery used to tell her she resembled, while the choreography drew on lessons he passed down to the young cast.
Ali and Ravnik earned a 32 out of 40, with judge Bruno Tonioli telling her she appeared to be “floating on the wings of [her] guardian angel.”
Ali was already an experienced performer when she landed The Fresh Prince at 11. She began working on Sesame Street at six and competed on Star Search before becoming Ashley Banks, the youngest member of the sitcom’s central family.
The series also introduced audiences to her singing voice, setting up a second act that included the gold-certified 1998 album Kiss the Sky. Its lead single, “Daydreamin’,” reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Ali later toured with *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
Avery’s influence stayed with her through every stage of that career. “He was very much a father figure for all of us,” Ali said before taking the ballroom floor. “He taught me that what you do can be more than just a job—it can be how you contribute, how you share, as an artist and as a performer.”
She became emotional as she explained why her Dedication Night choice was never in doubt. “I loved him a lot,” she said. “I miss him.”
Ali continued building a life beyond the child-star label after Fresh Prince ended in 1996. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in African American Studies and Government, then returned to television with roles in The Young and the Restless, Love That Girl! and Abbott Elementary.
Her résumé also includes Broadway’s Fences, five NAACP Image Awards, work as an author, and advocacy surrounding Black maternal health.
Through it all, she said, Avery’s insistence on craft remained with her. “There is not one moment in this piece that is not carefully mined, because that’s how he taught me to make things,” Ali explained.
Ribeiro called participating in the routine “an opportunity to say ‘thank you’” to Avery, who died in 2013 following complications from open-heart surgery. “James was the most lovable, charismatic, intelligent person,” he said.
For Ali, the tribute connected every version of herself: the child actor Avery mentored, the singer whose voice carried the dance, and the veteran performer now competing for the Mirrorball Trophy.
“My heart is full,” she said. “I think he would be really proud.”
