Elaine Hendrix is dancing through her pain.
The Parent Trap alum had the ballroom in tears during the Oct. 21 Wicked Night episode of Dancing With the Stars after she and partner Alan Bersten performed a contemporary routine to “Defying Gravity.” And as she explained, every day on the show she was defying her own odds due to injuries she sustained after a 1992 car accident.
“I have a titanium joint in my right foot,” Elaine shared during her intro, “so that renders half my foot unusable. Every week, my body shifts into a new pain spot, but I just don’t wanna let it stop me.”
The choice to dance to the powerful “Defying Gravity” was a deliberate one, as Alan wanted the 54-year-old to realize “she can trust herself," reminding Elaine that “she is stronger than her injuries.”
As the two took the floor, they immediately put a spell on the audience, especially as Elaine literally defied gravity, being raised while holding a broom at the end of the number.
And the audience was certainly enchanted, with host Alfonso Ribeiro noting, “The ballroom is literally on their feet.”
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was incredibly moved by the piece, jumping up saying that they all witnessed “something special.”
“I just burst into tears just because you were so purely in this moment,” she continued. “There are these moments that happen on this show that are magical—that no one will ever forget how it made them feel. When you danced and you reached—and that passion. It was beauty, elegance and you just dug into my soul and I am so proud of you.”
Also proud was judge Bruno Tonioli, who gushed that Elaine and Alan “went into orbit.”
“You had the toughest number because it’s the highest, the biggest in the show,” he added. “And you killed it.”
And as for Elaine herself? As she put it, “I am feeling like I am defying gravity.”
And once the scores came in, garnering all nines from Bruno and Carrie Ann, as well as judge Derek Hough and guest judge Wicked director Jon M. Chu, Elaine couldn’t believe she earned her first nines of the season.
“I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful for this moment,” she shared before proudly announcing, “I am 54, I am injured and I just did that!"
For more on all the celebs competing on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading.
Baron Davis
Partnered with Britt Stewart
Jennifer Affleck
Partnered with Jan Ravnik
Alix Earle
Partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski
Dylan Efron
Partnered with Daniella Karagach
Corey Feldman
Partnered with Jenna Johnson
Elaine Hendrix
Partnered with Alan Bersten
Robert Irwin
Partnered with Witney Carson
Jordan Chiles
Partnered with Ezra Sosa
Scott Hoying
Partnered with Rylee Arnold
Whitney Leavitt
Partnered with Mark Ballas
Hilaria Baldwin
Partnered with Gleb Savchenko
Andy Richter
Partnered with Emma Slater
Danielle Fishel
Partnered with Pasha Pashkov