Ahead of his Dancing with the Stars debut, Aslan’s Billy McGuinness has admitted that he’s “more of a chancer than a dancer”.Following last week’s return of the show, where six celebrities dressed up and got down on the dance floor, the remaining half a dozen stars get to strut their stuff in front of the nation.
“Me and Billy were chatting, and we’re just eager to do it at this stage. We’ve been in rehearsals for god knows how long, so it’s great to finally get to hit the floor.As a member of Dublin rockers Aslan, Billy McGuinness has been involved in the entertainment industry for four decades. He’s been through it all, really, but being a contestant on DancingwiththeStars is something he never saw coming.
The six on stage tonight are Billy McGuinness, Aengus Mac Grianna, Matthew MacNabb, Jordan Conroy, Erica-Cody and Ellen Keane.Of that group of stars, two come from a musical background: Billy McGuinness and Erica-Cody. More of Billy in a moment, but first up here, Baldoyle-based R&B singer, Erica-Cody, who insists: “The nerves are goo
“I’m more of a chancer than a dancer,” he says, obviously tongue-in-cheek, although he adds that this really is a journey into the unknown for him.He insists: “I have no dancing experience whatsoever. When the call came in from the show, I actually thought it was the band winding me up. I assumed it was Christy and the lads, and I thought, that’s a brilliant one.
It’s been a tough couple of years for anyone involved in music. Not only have the opportunities to earn a living been seriously diminished, people who live to perform have been denied something that’s in their DNA.
Neither Billy nor Erica-Cody are playing the poor mouth though. Rather, they’re both hugely motivated ahead of their dancing debuts on Dancing with the Stars. Erica-Cody sums up their mood.
For Billy, the challenge of doing something radically different to what he’s accustomed to has been a huge incentive for him in the weeks since he signed up for the show and began rehearsals. He’s clearly having a ball.
“I’m completely blown away and completely out of my comfort zone,” says the 61-year-old. “It’s one thing performing to a crowd in the Olympia or Vicar St. It’s another thing to perform a dance. And I’d never realised how much hard work goes into it.
