Watch Harry Styles Dance During Latest Grammy Stage Malfunction
Harry Styles’ Sunday performance at the Grammys was nearly thrown off by a technical malfunction. In a nod to his “As It Was” music video, Styles and a team of dancers performed live on a rotating stage. However, rather than turning counter-clockwise as planned, the stage began moving in the opposite direction. Some observant viewers made note of Styles signaling to the stage crew once it was clear what was going on.
The start of a very eventful night for the star almost didn’t go so well. Following the show, fans on Twitter noted that the start of Styles’ “As It Was” performance felt a bit off. Now we can safely say that the gig went much better than it could have.
Styles’ commitment to his craft is unquestionable. In a great show of talent and professionalism, Styles and his dancers were able to perform in reverse, leaving the audience unaware that anything was amiss. The performance — received with a standing ovation — was only the first of many exciting events for Styles that evening. Thanks to the quick thinking of all involved, Styles showcased live vocals from “As It Was”, the lead song of Harry’s House, which would go on to take home both the Grammy for Album of the Year and for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Dancers from Harry Styles’ #GRAMMYs performance reveal they experienced a malfunction during the set.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 7, 2023
The turntable in the performance spun the opposite direction of what they had rehearsed, forcing them to perform their entire routine in reverse. pic.twitter.com/wUeqUlun2N
Following the performance, some of Styles’ backup dancers have come forward to share what the moment felt like from their perspective.
“There was nothing we could do to stop it,” comments dancer Brandon Mathis in a now-deleted Instagram story. “After a week of rehearsing this piece perfectly going this way, the moment it’s time to perform, it starts going this way,” he added, motioning counter-clockwise, then clockwise.
Another dancer, Dexter Da Rocha, shed even more light onto the situation on TikTok. “We rehearsed for ten days getting down these beautiful formations…and Harry did such a good job,” they began. Da Rocha elaborated on the process of working on such a creative project, stating, “It was frustrating and it was difficult, and making those patterns while something’s moving, and having all this spatial awareness, and working together with people you’ve never met before, like, it was a wild challenge.”
When the turntable started moving in the wrong direction, Da Rocha stated that the dancers attempted to get the attention of the technician. Due to the nature of a live performance, he wasn’t able to understand what they were saying. “We worked together and did our best, and [we] got to one cool formation in time for the overhead shot, but [we] kind of had to change the rest,” finished Da Rocha, putting a positive spin on the difficult situation. Styles and the dancers managed to change the routine convincingly enough that many were unaware anything had happened.
Fans of Styles have chimed in with their support for the star on social media. “They did their best — the show must go on!” stated Twitter user @JillJessMom.
Reminds me of my dance days & the real pro’s dancers & artists are.
— Twiggy (@JillJessMom) February 7, 2023
No one ran off crying, shaming the stage hand when he threw the stage in complete disarray by mistake -on live TV!
They did their best —the show must go on!
💜to #HarryStyles & dancers💜 https://t.co/wmAdYyU1xT
This sentiment was echoed by ELLE Magazine, who praised Styles and his dancers’ ability to keep calm and carry on. “This could have been a total disaster,” they remarked.
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This could have been a total disaster, but Styles and his dancers kept their cool. https://t.co/ig7U89p5hK
— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) February 8, 2023
Styles’ consistent dedication to both performance and flamboyant dress culminated in an incredible performance earlier this week. We shouldn’t be surprised anymore by his ability to stop a show, but here we are. We look forward to seeing what comes next for the star.
Writer ∣ Tweet me @thattaylorhaley
