Taylor Swift dropped the music video for "The Fate of Ophelia" two days after the release of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and very quickly fans picked up on the post-chorus dance routine that instantly became a TikTok trend. So when HELLO! met Mandy Moore, Taylor's longtime choreographer who also works on Dancing with the Stars, we had to ask about the viral dance and how it was crafted.
"I never set out to make a viral moment and Taylor did not set out to make that either," said Mandy on the red carpet for Dancers Against Cancer's Gala of the Stars, where Mandy was being honored. "We just knew the song was a bop and when you work from a place of authenticity and joy, people are attracted to that".
It is arguably the first song of Taylor's in her almost 20-year career to have a viral dance moment, as very few of her music videos have ever featured choreography like this one. Dance is not something the 35-year-old has been known for, even making fun of herself and her moves in the "Shake It Off" music video. But after almost two years on the Eras Tour, which saw her work with Mandy and a group of dancers on detailed work every night, it's clear Taylor is now in her dance era.
Mandy, 49, has been working in TV, film, and with artists for decades, choreographing the 2016 film La La Land, creating dance numbers for the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and Grammy Awards, and working alongside Taylor on the Eras Tour which placed her on the global map. She has been nominated seven times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, winning three for her work on Dancing with the Stars in 2017, in 2018 for her work on So You Think You Can Dance, and in 2020 for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.
Literally every day I wake up and I still feel like the same little kid that was making up her dance moves and her solos on her back porch, making her sister dance with her," Mandy said of finding herself at this huge success point in career.
Mandy has been with Dancing with the Stars for 12 seasons and has become close friends with many of the professionals, but this year is special as Jan Ravnik, whom was one of the Eras Tour dancers, is now on the show.
© Getty ImagesBut that does not mean Mandy is only rooting for him: "I've been on the show for 12 seasons, and so many of those dancers are my dear, dear friends, and I love Jan, but he's not the only one I'm rooting for!"
As for whether fans will see him reunite with his beloved ladder – Jan went viral on the tour for a very specific moment each night with a ladder during "Lavender Haze," – Mandy admits she is surprised the producers haven't asked him to incorporate the furniture piece into a dance, acknowledging it would be a huge moment online for the ABC show.
Mandy will also return to the UK this winter for Strictly Come Dancing, choreographing group numbers of the semi-finals and the finals. " I love the Brits first of all – I think I might be a Brit!" she joked. "The talent is different because it's different kinds of dancers, but they're so good, and the format's the same so I feel very at home at Strictly."
