Highlights
- Taylor Swift’s spur-of-the-moment dance moves have left fans divided.
- Taylor worked hard on her training and choreography but admitted dance isn’t her forte.
- Swift may not be a trained dancer, but takes her job seriously and values fans’ experience.
Taylor Swift's music isn't for everyone, and apparently, neither is her dancing. Most fans who have watched Taylor's music videos or attended her concerts know that she's more of a performer than a dancer. During Eras, for example, Taylor has often put on dramatic facial expressions, pranced around the stage for peppier songs, and acted out scenes.
But one viral video clip of Taylor dancing at the edge of the stage attracted tons of criticism as onlookers claimed Taylor cannot dance at all. Here's what happened when a clip of Taylor Swift dancing unprompted went viral, how much dance training she has really had, and what she does to make up for her lack of talent in some areas.
Taylor Swift's Dancing Skills Were Mocked During Parts Of Her Eras Tour
A viral clip of Taylor dancing onstage in Edinburgh had even her most ardent supporters shaking their heads. Unlike the other dance moves that were choreographed along with her team of backup dancers, this move featured Taylor shaking her hips, swinging the fringe on her gold dress, as the audience and one of her backup singers looked on.
Fan reactions to Taylor's spur-of-the-moment dancing were mixed, with some fans seemingly loving the move, including TikTokers who posted the clip without permitting comments from followers.
X (formerly Twitter) users had a field day with the video, with one writing, "This video of Taylor Swift dancing w/o rhythm is exactly why she’s relatable to the [majority] of white millennial women 😂."
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In a purportedly "neutral" Taylor Swift subreddit, commenters tended to agree that Taylor is simply a bad dancer. Many suggested that Taylor also purposely "leaned into the trope" to make herself more relatable.
Another possible theory is that Taylor was imitating her own bad dancing from the era in which that setlist was taken (Fearless).
Interestingly, Taylor previously mocked herself with 'bad dance moves' in 1989's "Shake It Off," which, overall, was well-received. That video featured Taylor gyrating her hips and shaking her rear in a ballerina outfit, among other intentionally awkward scenes. The video is still popular today, and Travis Kelce even danced to "Shake It Off" in a podcast episode.
Taylor is also not shy about admitting her past dancing was cringe; Swift spoke about her "cringe" past with Time (for their 2023 Person of the Year piece).
"Every part of you that you’ve ever been, every phase you’ve ever gone through, was you working it out in that moment with the information you had available to you at the time. There’s a lot that I look back at like, ‘Wow, a couple years ago I might have cringed at this.’ You should celebrate who you are now, where you’re going, and where you’ve been."
It's possible that Taylor's recent shimmying was inspired by those moments, or it could be that she truly is a bad dancer, despite being trained by, apparently, one of the best in the industry.
Taylor Worked Hard On Her Workout Regimen And Choreography For Eras
Taylor admitted that dance was not her primary talent in her interview with Time. Before embarking on the Eras tour, Taylor hit the gym and the dance studio.
Taylor's gym developed a specific program for her that combined weights, conditioning, and strength training. She also danced for months prior to taking the stage but confirmed that choreography was not her "strong suit" while talking to Time.
"I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones. I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought."
As for who trained Taylor to dance, that would be choreographer Mandy Moore. Taylor told Time that her pal Emma Stone recommended Moore, and it turned out to be a good fit.
Taylor also flexed her pipes in the gym, singing her entire setlist on the treadmill (running faster for fast songs and jogging for slower ones) "every day." The gym seemed to have paid off, because Taylor rarely sounds out of breath even while running on stage. However, the choreography didn't seem to be a success.
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Fans immediately began questioning who the mysterious figure was in a TikTok that's now gone viral.
In response to the hubbub over Taylor's recent dance clip, one commenter wrote, "I'm confused why this is suddenly a big deal? She's danced like this for 100+ shows now?" Others suggested that people should let Taylor have her fun, declaring that whatever people read into from the onstage moment, Taylor shouldn't have to answer for it.
Taylor Swift Might Not Be A Dancer, But She Takes Her Job Seriously
Mandy Moore told ET about working with Taylor Swift when they stopped her on a red carpet one night. She said of Taylor, "We had a really good working relationship. It was awesome."
Mandy said that Taylor was very open to everything she suggested and that she would show Taylor something on screen, to which Swift would emphatically say "YES!"
Moore did say that Taylor was also very clear about what she liked and didn't, specifically that Taylor "has ideas" and was very clear about "how she wants to move." However, fans can assume that Mandy did not choreograph Taylor's off-the-cuff dances, such as the one she was later mocked for.
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For one thing, Mandy did not go on tour with Taylor, so it sounds like the choreography was decided long before the Edinburgh leg, and Taylor has, of course, been performing the same exact show over 100 times.
Something else that is apparent? Taylor Swift has not had formal dance training outside of working with Mandy Moore for three months. Many people claiming to be in the industry commented on Reddit (and other places) that Taylor does not have the rhythm of a trained dancer, even if she's able to execute certain moves for her tour.
In what is potentially a brave move, Taylor does surround herself with trained dancers. Not only that, but Swift's male backup dancers apparently live an intense lifestyle while working on the road. So why would Taylor Swift pay an absolute fortune for backup dancers for The Eras Tour? For her fans, of course.
Taylor told Time how invested she was in ensuring her fans had a good experience.
"They had to work really hard to get the tickets. I wanted to play a show that was longer than they ever thought it would be, because that makes me feel good leaving the stadium."
According to Mandy Moore and Taylor herself: Taylor wants her fans to have the best possible time at her shows. That means putting in the effort to learn to dance — even if she's terrible — and ensuring that she has trained dancers to really round out the show.
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