While this dancer’s airport antics may have caused him to miss his flight, it has sparked off a viral TikTok dance trend that’s being embraced by everyone.
If the question is how far would you go for views, influencer Blake McGrath’s answer is: to the airport and no further.
The dancer and choreographer has gone viral for throwing his shoe in the air, pirouetting, and performing flawless aerials (all in a row, mind you) to Celine Dion’s ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’ at an airport.
McGrath’s airport antics have since sparked off a TikTok trend that only seems to be gaining more steam as the months pass.
After posting his airport dance video to the social media platform in September last year, the influencer has become synonymous with the travel trend, with several airports around the world commenting on McGrath’s video and inviting him to dance at their terminals.
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The dancer’s journey to unprecedented TikTok-trend-fame began last autumn, when he was waiting for his flight at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas. Suddenly recalling the time one of his friends filmed himself dancing at an airport, McGrath was struck with inspiration and decided to — as the boomers say — get down with it.
The result? A 21-second video that has since been viewed over 6.7 million times with over 12.2k comments and has sparked off a flurry of airport dance videos.
Speaking to CNN Travel, McGrath said: “The freestyle took over, and I kind of started jumping and flipping and flying.”
The video was filmed by McGrath’s assistant, who then cautioned they were getting late for their flight. The duo subsequently made a dash for the gates and were told “Oh, yeah, it just closed. The flight’s left.”
While this may not have been the ideal outcome, McGrath didn’t let his efforts go to waste. Titling the clip “Slayed this Tiktok but missed my flight,” with the caption, “Was it worth it????”, McGrath posted the dance to TikTok — and nothing has been the same since.
The creator’s video gained traction straight away (who can resist Dion’s famed 1996 power ballad?) and ever since then, he has reproduced his flawless moves at multiple airports across the world.
McGrath’s viral TikTok has resulted in a plethora of copycat videos with people, especially dancers, replicating his moves at various airports around the globe as they blast Dion’s soulful smash-hit in the terminals.
Celine Dion even reposted McGrath’s original video, which the dancer thought was “really cool”. The creator has also twirled his way around airports on a few other songs, experimenting with tracks like Whitney Houston’s Run to You.
McGrath, still amazed at how quickly the dance trend has grown and been embraced on social media, said: “It has just sparked so much joy all around the world, which is really cool.”
He also hasn’t heard of anyone else missing their flights due to these airport shenanigans. “I think people are more time-sensitive than I am. That’s not one of my gifts. I usually leave things right to the last minute.”
Talking to CNN Travel about the safety of his airport theatrics, the choreographer said: “I always use my peripheral vision. I have done, at this point, probably 50 airport videos and recordings … And I have never once gotten close to hitting or kicking anybody.”
While McGrath doesn’t explicitly ask fellow travellers for permission or warn people before he starts dancing and recording, he is cognisant of people’s need and right to their privacy, and says he will always respect others and stop immediately if asked.
On the contrary, the dancer has been awarded with a standing ovation for his moves at the Tulsa International Airport in Oklahoma. McGrath’s only hope from his viral dance trend is that it lets people “be kids when we feel like it.”
The dancer says: “I think there’s enough negative stuff in the world going on that, if I can use my gift to spark a trend and create joy and let people feel light and love, that’s kind of my purpose. So I’m gonna keep rolling on the suitcase for a little while longer.”
While McGrath’s might be the most popular rendition, he isn’t the only one making shapes in an airport. Several other TikTokers have embraced the trend:
Do you approve of people dancing in the airport? Let us know in the comments below.