Conor McKenzie, a dancer with a popular Instagram account, went viral in November after he posted a video dancing to Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next.”
I had no idea who Conor McKenzie was before November. Chances are — sorry, Conor — you probably didn’t either. But in November, Ariana Grande released the title track “Thank U, Next” from her forthcoming album — and McKenzie released a video of himself, clad in a crop top emblazoned with “Queen” and a pair of heeled boots that make my arches hurt just looking at them, sashaying, high kicking, and doing the splits to the same tune.
That on its own, would probably not have been enough to turn McKenzie into a viral star. But in McKenzie’s video, in every shot his dance move correlates with a thing he’s over. Text appears on the screen — “bad skin,” “negativity,” “flats” — only to have McKenzie dance it away in the true spirit of “Thank U, Next.” This was enough to turn McKenzie into a viral star.
THANK U, NEXT ???????? Me out here dodging bad vibes and negativity like ???????? Only have time to thrive and live my best life! Thank you pop princess @arianagrande for such a bop and for reposting my craziness ????????
A post shared by Conor McKenzie (@conor_mckenzie) on Nov 11,2018 at 10:45am PST
The video is McKenzie’s most-watched to date with nearly 800,000 views on his Instagram alone. (This doesn’t account for other platforms and uncredited reposts, bringing the view count well into the millions.) Ariana Grande herself, among a slew of other celebrities, shared it. I caught up with McKenzie earlier this month to find out a little bit more about his craft, life after going viral, and why he doesn’t consider himself an “influencer.”
I started dancing at the age of 14. It’s a funny story actually. Believe it or not, I auditioned… well … tried out for my middle-school football team when I was 13, but didn’t make it. It was a blessing that I didn’t because I had friends that were participating in the school musical who convinced me to do it too, and ultimately, that is where my love for dance sprouted… When it comes to training, it is pretty much an every day thing. I go to the gym 4 to 5 times a week, stretch almost daily to maintain flexibility, give myself a ballet class frequently, all while staying on top of my endurance training and body maintenance work. And let’s be honest, I still have my rest days because if not I would go crazy.
Hey guys! Been busy, but finally have new videos coming to you guys this week! Here’s an oldie but Goldie until then ???????? much love????
A post shared by Conor McKenzie (@conor_mckenzie) on Oct 28,2018 at 12:34pm PDT
I joined Instagram right before I went off to college in 2012 and it still remains my favorite social-media platform.
