Launceston’s Lily Cornish will perform two brand new routines at the Tasmanian Open DanceSport Championship at Launceston’s Silverdome on Saturday, before heading to the Logies the following week to reunite with Robert Irwin.
The dancer confirmed her original partner for the Silverdome show, Kyle Shilling, has been ruled out through injury.
Italian dance partner Leonardo Lini has flown in to replace him.
“He’ll still be there across the weekend, which is wonderful, but instead I’ll be performing with my dance partner, Leonardo Lini, who’s flown over from Italy,” Cornish told Pulse.
“We’ve been creating two brand new numbers over the past few days, so we’re really excited to finally share them with everyone.”
Shilling, who won Dancing with the Stars Australia with Cornish in 2025, will attend for a meet and greet at 6:45pm.
Nine-time World Latin Champion Bryan Watson will also feature at the event, which Dance Review magazine named Australia’s Dance Competition of the Year.
Cornish said performing in Launceston carries extra weight this year.
“It’ll be the first time Leonardo and I have ever performed together in Australia,” she said.
“To have that first performance happen here in Launceston, in front of my family, friends and the Tasmanian dance community, makes it something we’ll always remember.”
She said the Tasmanian championships remain one of her favourite weekends of the year.
“My entire dance journey began here in Tasmania,” she said.
“This is where I first learnt to dance and it’s incredible to think that something which started here has taken me all over the world.”
Beyond the Silverdome and the Logies, Cornish said her recent appearance on the US spin-off series Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro has opened doors overseas.
“The feedback has been incredibly positive and it’s opened some really exciting doors,” she said.
Tickets for the Saturday event are still available in B and C reserve through tasopen.org.
