Bringing back a classic! Mira Sorvino is gearing up for the always heartfelt Most Memorable Year Night on Dancing With the Stars, and she’s bringing along someone really special for her performance.
Sorvino and her pro-partner Gleb Savchenko are set to deliver an epic, delightful contemporary routine set to “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper — and the pair invited Sorvino’s 18-year-old daughter, Mattea Backus, to join them for the dance.
ET’s Denny Directo came out to DWTS rehearsals on Monday, and got the opportunity to speak with Sorvino and her daughter about taking to the stage together for the big number.
“I am so excited because, this week, I get to live out another dream which is to dance with my daughter, Sorvino shared. “Gleb choreographed this incredible dance to ‘Time After Time’ about the love between parents and a daughter and, you know, her going away and coming back but love always returns and we always end up together in the end. And it’s really beautiful.”
Sorvino added that her daughter “is a really amazing dancer, which, you’ll see! Her dancing speaks for itself.”
For Most Memorable Year Night, Sorvino is celebrating the year 2004, which holds a particularly special place in her heart.
“That’s the year I got married to my husband, Christopher Backus, and that’s the year we had our first child, Mattea, and my life changed forever for the better,” Sorvino shared. “My heart just grew 10 times and I just love my children, my family, so much. And to have my daughter here today, it’s just mind-blowing!”
For Backus, watching her mom’s DWTS journey has been plenty mind-blowing on its own.
“It’s been so crazy,” Backus shared. “The first week I was so nervous watching her… then she went out and I was like, ‘Oh, she’s all good! She’s gonna do fine.'”
“Every week I get really excited and then all of me and my friends at school tune in and watch,” she added, “so its been super fun to watch her perform.”
While she’s been excited and proud of her mom for her ability to learn and grown her talents on the dance floor, Backus said she’s still feeling a lot of pressure for their dance together on Tuesday.
“I’m used to performing but I’m not used to performing for such a massive audience,” said Backus, who has been a ballet dancer for years. “Or with my mom! We’ve never danced together before, besides once in The Nutcracker — but I was like 5.”
“It’s gonna be something I know that we’ll remember and cherish for like the rest of our lives,” Backus added.
Dancing With the Stars Most Memorable Year Night kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
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