Damian’s hoping to be the Bee’s Knees on Sunday

It will be all bee’s knees, groove walk, swing kicks and twists for Derry’s Damian McGinty (30) on RTÉ One’s Dancing With the Stars this Sunday evening.

Damian and Kaylee Vincent, his professional dance partner, are doing the Charleston to ‘No Swinggity’ this week, as the competition reaches “crunch time”.

Speaking to Derry NOW, Damian said he couldn’t wait to get on the dance floor.

“I am shocked that I have gotten this far, to be honest,” said Damian, “but our scores have been good and I hope we can stay in the competition a wee while longer.”

Giving us a little peek behind the showbiz scenes, former Glee star Damian revealed as soon as Sunday night’s show was over, it was straight back into the dance studio on Monday morning to learn a completely new dance.

“You start again, from scratch,” he laughed. “You don’t know anything. The dances are picked by the show’s producers. They have all of the different combinations and options planned out way ahead, depending who might go home any particular week.

“Regarding the costumes, we have a couple of fittings during the week. We normally see the wardrobe department on a Tuesday or Wednesday. They have everything mood boarded and there is a storyboard for your dance and everybody has their own colour and different vibes. 

“We try things on during the week, there’ll be alterations and we try them on again on Saturday in the studio and then on Sunday, for the dress rehearsal, they are good to go. As regards the music, the producers also have a big say in the music but if you really don’t like something, you can say. 

“I had never met Kaylee, whose speciality is Latin, before Dancing With the Stars. I decided to take part in the show in mid-November and I met Kaylee later that month when we were doing all of the promotional work around the show and the photoshoots. Honestly though, she is great. I am very lucky. Her personality works really well with mine. We work very well together. That is brilliant because we are together 40 hours a week,” said Damian.

The well known Celtic Thunder singer credited Kaylee, who is originally from South Africa and has been dancing all of her life, with driving him on each week. “We are working very, very hard. She does a brilliant job and I really enjoy working with her.”

Damian was also quick to acknowledge the professionalism of the Dancing With the Stars production team.

“The people we have been working with are outstanding, second to none. It is one of the best environments I have found myself working in. Everybody has been here for six years. They are great at their jobs. They care about everybody working with the show. 

“I have to say, the experience itself, how we have been taken care of has really been outstanding. Everybody has been working exceptionally hard to make sure it is a good TV show.”

Damian’s father is also called Damian and his mother is Joanne McGinty.

“My granda and granny would have been William and June McGinty who lived beside the Cemetery.”

Damian said he had always loved the performing arts growing up. 

“I love singing and I love acting. I happened to get very lucky when I was 14. I got a break with Celtic Thunder and Phil Coulter. I have been very, very fortunate to be able to do this for the past 16 years. 

“I have had a really enjoyable career and done things I never thought I would do,” said Damian, who splits his time between Ireland and Nashville in Tennessee. 

Married to Anna Claire, who hails from Memphis, Damian, says Nashville felt like a good place to put down roots.

“It is also huge on songwriting and I am very big into songwriting at the minute, making albums.

“But my priority at the moment is Dancing With the Stars and I am really enjoying working hard and trying to get better at the dancing. I would love for people to support us and hopefully we go further.”

With that it was back to Charleston rehearsals for Damian and Kaylee, Damian who said he was very much looking forward to travelling Asia with Anna Claire for a couple of weeks off in April, before the release of the new Celtic Thunder album in December.

Dancing with the Stars airs on Sunday, on RTÉ One, at 6.30pm.

To vote for Damian McGinty: Text DAMIAN to 53125, Call 1513 71 71 03, Call 09011 3311 03.

To vote for Brooke Scullion: Text BROOKE to 53125, Call 1513 71 71 01, Call 09011 3311 01.