We Believe in the Magic of Evanna and Keo!
The magic is alive and well, and so is Evanna Lynch’s dancing career!
Evanna and her partner Keo survived their debut week on Dancing with the Stars after a foxtrot on the season 27 premiere of the rating juggernaut for ABC. While their score was not the highest among the 13 couples, they scored high enough with the combinaton of judges scores and viewer votes to keep them out of jeopardy this week.
I’m thrilled that Evanna and Keo are through to next week, and based on Evanna’s Instagram story, their second-week dance category will be Latin. I wonder which Latin dance it will be? My favorite is always the Paso Doble or the Argentine Tango, so I’m crossing my fingers she gets one of those two!
If you missed all the magic from Monday night’s performance, take a look at the full dance below, plus feedback from the judging panel, and the judges’ scores.
It’s important to note, for anyone who may not be familiar with the show, that the feedback given by the judges can be extremely important and helpful if the contestants let it be helpful. Typically, Len Goodman is the hardest judge to win over, while Carrie Ann Inaba tends to be more positive, and Bruno Tonioli is just all sorts of extra as he walks the line between playing the good cop or the bad cop of the ballroom. Even knowing all of that, it is imperative that Evanna and Keo listen to what the judges say, that they don’t take it personally, and that they take it as constructive criticism. In all of the seasons I have seen so far, the judges always provide instructions, tips, and tricks that are meant to help each star succeed.
I wasn’t too thrilled with Len’s score, and from the look on Carrie Ann’s face when he held up his scoring paddle, she wasn’t either. I think he scored Evanna and Keo way too low for the performance they gave. Yes, there were moments where Evanna didn’t follow through in some of her arm and leg extensions, but for a first dance, she deserved better than a 5 from Len. When you take into consideration some of the other scores he gave other stars, she definitely did much better and got a lower score. I am not sure why this happened, but the score she received from all three judges was all over the place.
Take a look at this On the Red Carpet interview after their performance, which includes Evanna describing her DWTS journey so far in only three words, which pop star she tries to channel when dancing, and what Keo thinks the best thing about Evanna is as his new partner.
Since Evanna started her journey with DWTS, the coverage I have seen has honestly been so fun for me, both as a fan of DWTS and as a fan of Evanna’s. I think she’s such a down-to-earth young woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind or try new things. Watching her journey on DWTS is going take us far beyond what we know of her as simply the actress who portrayed Luna in the Potter films. Take a look back at Evanna’s journey through the first week with DWTS, as told through social media!
After being introduced on Good Morning America as one of Dancing with the Stars’ newest cast members, Evanna was asked by DWTS host Tom Bergeron if she was to put a Harry Potter-style hex on a judge, who would it be and what would she have them do? Take a look at her Gryffindor-like response!
In my previous post, I mentioned that Evanna, who has been sorted by Pottermore into Gryffindor (unlike her character Luna, who is a Ravenclaw), made her DWTS partner Keo get sorted, and he found out he was Slytherin. I was able to find a video showing the moment he found out, which was rather adorable as Evanna had a feeling he was totally Slytherin based on an earlier conversation they’d had regarding the competition. Take a look!
DWTS had also previously given us a short video introducing viewers to Keo and Evanna as dancing partners, but we never actually got to see their true reaction upon meeting until premiere night during their video package. Here, DWTS posted photos of Keo’s reaction finding out Evanna was his partner. How adorable!
Evanna posted a cute vid of a quick twirl with Keo after the performance was over, which gave us another look at their great costumes in motion. I’m so not sure, but I feel like their costumes were a shade of green in celebration of Keo finding out he’s a Slytherin!
There were lots of great photos of the magical dancing duo during and after their performance, and I just can’t get enough so here are some of the best ones I could find. I adore them. Team Kevanna, all the way to the mirror ball!
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#TeamKevanna was beyond magical with their Foxtrot! Great first performance. #DWTS
Evanna took to Twitter to thank fans and followers for their support and promised that she would take all the support given to her as inspiration to come back and work that much harder next week.
THANK YOU for the amazing support for myself and @keodancer on @DancingABC tonight! It’s making me so emotional and inspired to work harder! If you haven’t voted please call 1-800-868-3405 to keep us dancing ? or vote online: https://t.co/io3lDQ2zq7 I LOVE YOU GUYS!? pic.twitter.com/vjnAiPdTnX
— Evanna Lynch (@Evy_Lynch) September 25, 2018
She also learned a great lesson from Keo after receiving their scores from the judges on Monday night, stating that his determination to turn negative comments into positive intention helped her refocus her energy.
Right after the performance I was all ☹️☹️ and focusing on my mistakes and the score. Keo turns to me and says ‘Great. A lower score means we have something to fight for and a chance to prove those opinions wrong. Tomorrow we show them what we’re made of’. I literally watched him transform a negative attitude into a positive intention. I realized immediately that I need to get tougher now, and rather than getting in my head and retreating into myself I need to say ‘thank you so much for that feedback, now watch what we do with it…’. That is the work tomorrow, and to me is quite a profound lesson in cultivating a winning mindset.
Another familiar face (and Slytherin) was in the house, supporting Evanna and Keo on premiere night! Scarlett Byrne (Pansy Parkinson) and fiancé Cooper Hefner shared a snapshot from the audience section of the ballroom, wishing the best for Team Kevanna.
That wraps up Evanna’s first week on Dancing with the Stars! I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store for her in the weeks to come. Keep voting for Team Kevanna by calling in to 1-800-868-3405 and by voting online through Facebook or by visiting the website! Remember, it’s the combination of the judges’ scores AND your votes that keep Evanna and Keo dancing each week!
