Meet the backstage kids of DWTS
Two people who will be very sad to see the end of this year’s Dancing With the Stars are Darcy MacGabhan and Darragh Malone, who have loved the chance to present the fun backstage show RTÉjr Goes Dancing with the Stars. They tell us what it’s been like
Darragh Malone (13) is from Clonsilla in north Dublin. Before he auditioned successfully to co-present RTÉjr Goes Dancing with the Stars with Darcy, he had been in four pantos at the Gaiety and was the voice of Henry in the RTÉjr animated series The Day Henry Met which is now into its fourth series. “I’ve been in cartoons,” says Darragh, “but I’ve never really been on the television so it’s a great experience. I obviously was a little bit nervous before the first show, but I think it’s good to be a bit nervous. But I was also very excited to get stuck in.”
Like many people starting on a TV show, Darragh was surprised at how many people are involved n making a big show like Dancing With the Stars happen. “It was a shock to me how everything kind of worked. It’s very different when you’re in it than watching it. I learned so much too, things like how to favour the camera and where to stand for the lights.”
Of course the other skill Darragh learned was some nifty ballroom dancing.“We danced with the judge Brian [Redmond], learning all the different dance techniques – it was just amazing. We learned the Charleston, the samba and the tango, which was the hardest. It’s very complicated and I wasn’t great!” Despite that, Darragh says he would dance on TV again in the future. “If anything came up, I’d give it a shot. I mean, I never thought I’d be learning how to ballroom dance with Brian Redmond on TV!”
It’s certain that we will see more of Darragh on TV and the stage in the future. “It’s kind of always been my dream to be in the entertainment industry. I’ve been working in it since I was six and it’s what I want to do when I’m older.”
Darcy MacGabhann (11) is from Raheny in north Dublin. She is in fifth class and loves her speech and drama classes. Before the RTÉjr show, she appeared in a show at The Helix as well as singing, dancing and acting in local shows. She also loves swimming and playing tennis and would love to be a performer when she grows up.
Darcy heard about the job co-presenting RTÉjr Goes Dancing With the Stars from the talent agency that looks after her. She and her dad Ronan made an audition video at home and sent it into the show. When she heard that she had been successful, Darcy says “I was so overcome with happiness and joy. At the audition when they told me I was acting really cool, but when I got out of the building I started jumping up and down.”
Although she is an experienced performer already at age 11, Darcy admits, “I remember being very nervous on the first day. It was a bit nerve racking because I’d only done one ad for a charity event before.”
Just like Darragh, Darcy was on a steep learning curve right from the start. “I learned so much, about microphones, lighting and cameras. That was really interesting.”
By now, Darcy and Darragh have interviewed all of the Dancing With the Stars contestants and someday Darcy hopes to be on the other side of the microphone. “I’d love to be in TV shows where I could sing, because I really like singing. The dance lessons with Brian Redmond were great too. I prefer the fast dances, with lots of energy!”