The crowd at the Volunteers football game thought the “security guard” was in the way of the dance team, but what he did next had them laughing and cheering.
Knoxville, Tenn. – As the Tennessee Volunteers beat their Kentucky rivals on Saturday, the Tennessee Dance Team and a surprise guest won a big win with the fans.
The dancers were in the middle of a routine when a “security guard” appeared to stand in their way. They were stunned when the guy suddenly joined the team routine and showed his own bumps and squeaks.
Turns out Michael Gaylean isn’t a security guard at all. He is a budding actor and dancer. Both skills came in handy on the sidelines on Saturday.
“I’m an artist 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 such shock and excitement,” Gaylean said.
The dance crew posted the video on TikTok and Instagram, and they say the response was “overwhelming” and “exciting.”
The dance team coach came up with the idea and contacted Gaylean.
“I knew he could not only look the part, but he was a very talented dancer,” Tafazzoli said.
He learned all the moves and didn’t miss a beat in the game.
“Seeing the joy that other people bring…and that’s one of my main daily goals, is just to make people smile,” Galyean said.
Now he can add a Tennessee dancer and a security guard to his resume. Type of.
“I actually worked the whole third quarter as a security,” Galyean said.
