KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — While the Tennessee Volunteers were beating their rivals from Kentucky Saturday, the Tennessee Dance Team and a surprise guest scored a big win with the fans.
The dancers were in the middle of a routine when a "security guard" appeared to be standing in their way. They were stunned when the guy suddenly joined the team's routine and showed off his own bumps and grinds.
Turned out Michael Gaylean isn't a security guard at all. He's an aspiring actor and dancer. Both skills came in handy on the sidelines Saturday.
"I am a performer at heart,” he told WBIR, our sister station in Knoxville.
The crowd was clearly irritated when they thought he was in the way.
"And then when it flipped, their reaction was just such genuine shock and excitement," Gaylean said.
The dance team posted the video on TikTok and Instagram, and they say the response was "overwhelming" and "exciting."
The dance team's coach came up with the idea and contacted Gaylean.
“I knew that he could not only look the part, but he was a very talented dancer,” said Tafazzoli.
He learned all the moves and didn't miss a beat at the game.
"To see the joy that's bringing other people... and that's one of my main goals daily is just to make people smile,” said Galyean.
Now he can add Tennesse dancer and security guard to his resume. Kind of.
"I actually worked the whole third quarter as security,” Galyean said.
