The original version of the timeless classic song “When You Wish Upon a Star,” written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney’s 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio, was sung by Cliff Richards in the character of Jimmy Cricket. The song is heard in the opening credits and in the final scene of the film.
The opening lyrics of the song are, “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.” These are words that have a deep and special meaning to Lindsey Stirling, one of the contestants on this season of NBC’s Dancing with the Stars. For Disney Night on Monday, 16 October 2017, Lindsey decided to step out of her comfort zone, and she and her dance partner, Mark Ballas, performed the foxtrot to “When You Wish Upon a Star,” earning 28 out of 30 points – the third highest score for the evening. And to make the dance even more special, the team was accompanied on the piano by Mickey Mouse.
In a video interview prior to the performance, Lindsey explained how she has always been inspired by Walt Disney. She said, “The essence of what the song is about is that your dreams can come true and I remember when I was a struggling artist and when I was being told that I would never succeed, I was inspired by the Walt Disney story. You know, everyone told him he was a failure and yet, he didn’t give up. So, I didn’t either.”
Lindsey and Mark received their first 10 of the season from judge Leon Goodman. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba praised the pair for keeping the dance traditional. She commented, “I think what I loved most about that was that this week, you didn’t go quirky. Like every week so far, you’ve got a little quirk, artistry. This was classic and this was stunning. It was such a transformation for you and I know it actually took a lot more courage to do this number because you had nothing to hide behind, no character, no artistry, just beautiful, incredible dancing with one of the finest holds I’ve ever seen.” Bruno Tonioli added, “You really had that kind of Disney magic going but what it was, it really captured this kind of timeless style and elegance. It was almost like Fred Astaire meets Disney.”
