From wildlife to the ballroom: How Steve Irwin’s family is still inspiring millions
Ahead of Steve Irwin Day this weekend, son Robert paid tribute to his father as he bids to emulate sister Bindi’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ win.
Robert Irwin says his Dancing with the Stars tribute to dad Steve was “healing” and “deeply meaningful”, as wildlife enthusiasts worldwide prepare to commemorate the life and career of the legendary “Crocodile Hunter”.
“I’ll always carry on my dad’s mission”
In Tuesday’s episode of DWTS, Robert and his dance partner, Witney Carson, performed a foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s “Footprints in the Sand” - an emotional routine that concluded with a cameo by Robert’s sister, Bindi Irwin.
As Bindi joined Robert and Witney, images of Steve Irwin cradling his two children were projected onto the dance floor, leading Robert to crouch down in tears as the performance ended.
“Tonight was healing,” Robert said on Instagram after this week’s show. “This dance was emotional, beautiful and so deeply meaningful. I carry Dad’s legacy with me in everything I do, and it was a privilege to dedicate our foxtrot to him."
“Proudest thing I’ve achieved”
Steve Irwin, a wildlife conservationist who rose to fame with his popular documentary television series The Crocodile Hunter, said before his death in 2006, aged 44, that his two children were “the proudest thing I’ve achieved personally”.
Robert, 21, and Bindi, 27, have both followed in their father’s footsteps. Along with mom Terri, they co-manage Australia Zoo, a Sunshine Coast wildlife park that was founded by Steve’s parents, Bob and Lyn Irwin, in 1970.
Robert, Bindi and Terri also head up Wildlife Warriors, an organization created in 2002 to “include and involve other caring people in the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife”.
And among a host of roles on nature-related TV shows, the trio featured together for four years on the program Crikey! It’s the Irwins, a docuseries about their work at Australia Zoo.
Robert retraces Bindi’s “Footprints in the Sand”
What’s more, Robert’s participation in DWTS season 34, whose semi-finals air on ABC on November 18, comes 10 years after Bindi took part in - and won - season 21 of the U.S. reality-TV dance contest.
Indeed, Robert’s “Footprints in the Sand” routine was a callback to Bindi’s DWTS victory. In the season 21 finals in November 2015, she and partner Derek Hough used the song as part of a freestyle routine that paid tribute to her father.
In his Instagram post this week, Robert said: “Thank you @bindisueirwin for inspiring us with your freestyle to this song, and thank you @witneycarson for once again choreographing such a beautiful story through dance and for creating a space for me to convey raw emotions that I’ve never gotten to share before.
“I’m a proud Wildlife Warrior, and I’ll always carry on my dad’s mission. I’m so grateful that I can do that in the ballroom.”
“Together we carry on Steve’s legacy”
This Saturday, November 15, is Steve Irwin Day - an annual event that ”represents the many things Steve was passionate about: family, fun and wildlife conservation”, says the Wildlife Warriors’ website.
“Together we carry on Steve’s legacy. Together we remember his message, his dream and continue his mission.”
On Steve Irwin Day, Wildlife Warriors promises a “smorgasbord of activities to honour Steve” at Australia Zoo. Visitors to the zoo, located near Beerwah, Queensland, can also get 10% off their ticket price by sporting khaki clothing in the style of Steve’s iconic, characteristic get-up.
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