Singer/rapper (and flautist) Lizzo issued a challenge to her growing legion of fans, tweeting “Someone do a ballet routine to truth hurts pls.”
And just like that, the Internet has been flooded with ballet dancers twerking while on pointe shoes interpreting Lizzo’s summer anthem. When the hottest queen in pop music today asks, the people deliver!
Classical musician to rap singer Lizzo was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, in Detroit, and her 2019 LP Cuz I Love You is currently in the Billboard top 10. “Truth Hurts” is Lizzo’s first Billboard #1 song, topping the American charts on September 4, 2019. The song was released on September 2017 but got renewed attention when it was featured in the Netflix film ‘Someone Great’ that premiered in April. The song was pushed to the top of the charts when Lizzo sang it in her electrifying performance at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) on August 26.
Response to Lizzo’s Call
Ballet dancers stepped up to the challenge, with some doing it solo while others did the pas de deux and still more dancing as a group. Even dancers from top ballet companies like Houston Ballet’s Harper Watters and American Ballet Theatre’s Erica Lall posted their interpretations of the song.
Ballet schools also responded with dances from their adorable young students, even a tap dance number.
Here are some of our favorites:
Harper Watters
Harper Watters is a soloist for the Houston Ballet. His dance interpretation of Truth Hurts has a jazzy vibe to it, though what’s missing is his towering pink heels. Check out his YouTube channel The Pre-show where you can see him dance in those pink heels.
Erica Lall and James Whiteside
American Ballet Theatre’s corp de ballet member Erica Lall and ABT principal dancer James Whiteside filmed an amazing dance duet to Lizzo’s song. We love how they manage to flawlessly transition from a shoulder sit to twerking, all while lip synching.
Jim Nowakowski
Jim Nowakowski, BalletMet’s dancer and So You Think You Can Dance season 12 competitor turned his “wanna do a helicopter, down into a fish catch, & then a la seconde pirouette into finish penché” into a submission for Lizzo’s #truthhurtsballet challenge.
Conor McKenzie
Conor McKenzie became an instant viral star when he posted an awesome interpretative video of himself dancing to Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” song “dodging bad vibes and negativity”.
This time, he is high kicking, pirouetting while doing his gravity-defying splits to Lizzo’s song and segueing into his brand of energetic twerking.
Other favorite submissions to the #truthhurtsballet include:
Tap dancing routine
Yosemite Dance Company students
Valerio Palumbo of the Hungarian National Ballet Company
Hiplet Ballerinas
The powerhouse Lizzo, who spreads the gospel of self-love and body positivity, has just become a true advocate of dance.
