Left Shark Unmasked: Katy Perry Dancer Opens Up About Infamous Super Bowl Moment
The left shark dancer who became an internet sensation with his dance moves during Katy Perry's Super Bowl halftime performance has set the record straight.
The Viral Performance
Perry was the celebrity performer during the halftime mark of 2015's Super Bowl XLIX but it was one of her backup dancers who grabbed all of the attention on that day. Perry was performing a rendition of her hit song "Teenage Dream" when a pair of dancers dressed in 7-foot-tall blue shark costumes joined her on stage.
While one shark complied with the choreography, the other, who became known as the now-legendary left shark, appeared to have gone rogue during the dance routine. He seemingly started doing his own thing, flailing his arms around and spinning around in circles.
The performance became one of the most-talked-about moments in Super Bowl halftime history. Left shark became a viral phenomenon overnight with the hashtag #LeftShark trending across all social media platforms and became an internet meme in no time.
Left Shark Opens Up About Infamous Moment
The name of the dancer in the left shark costume is Bryan Gaw. He was a dancer with Perry's touring ensemble for five years before becoming a hair stylist at the Mare Salon in West Hollywood.
Gaw had stayed away from media attention over the years but in a recent interview with NPR, he finally decided to break his silence. He clarified what exactly happened during the performance and why he decided to do his own dance routine.
"So there's a set choreography, there's also what's called freestyle choreography, or, like, you get to move around or play your character as a dancer," Gaw said. "I'm in a 7-foot blue shark costume. There's no cool in that. So what's the other option? Well, I'm gonna play a different character."
Gaw noted that he didn't talk about the incident publicly until now because he did not want to steal the spotlight from Perry. He also added that left shark's goofy dance moves were met with a positive response and refer to his performance as an achievement, which he has included on his CV.
Justin Timberlake is set to perform during the halftime at the Super Bowl LII, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 4 at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will air live on NBC. Check out the infamous performance in the video below:
