Olympian and rugby player Ilona Maher captured our hearts and kicked a lot of butt while competing in Paris this past summer, and now she continues to just be the most awesome person ever. On Tuesday’s Dancing With The Stars’ Disney Night, the 28-year-old athlete stopped the show with her portrayal of Luisa, the super-strong character from Encanto.
Along with her dancing pro partner Alan Bersten (who was of course in a full donkey costume), and dressed flawlessly as the fan-favorite Luisa, Maher knocked down boulders, hefted the world upon her shoulders, and spun donkeys about every which way during the dance number. And at the end of it all, she garnered her highest judges’ score of the season, a nine.
Maher shared that she identified strongly with the character, who struck a cord with millions of women when the Disney movie aired in 2021.
“I really resonate with Luisa,” she said during the show. “I too grew up as a bigger female. She is big and broad but she is so beautiful. She doesn’t ever try to shrink herself for the world. I’m so happy I’m sharing that with people now. Just like Luisa, I might bend, but I’ll never break.”
Earlier in the day, Maher posted a picture of herself on X as a child with a Snow White character at a Disney park.
“Doing this dance tonight for this little girl (me) who would have loved Luisa,” she wrote.
Maher is a fan favorite on Season 33 — though she and her partner have remained in the middle of the pack throughout the first weeks of the show.
Judges Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough, and Carrie Ana Inaba gave the pair a total of 25 points, with Inaba handing out a nine.
“Your power worked for you in this dance,” she said.
Watch the video of the full dance below.
