We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michael Galyean. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michael below.

Michael , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

So I have always been a part of the arts, just enough to scratch the itch, but never giving it the attention it needed. I moved to Tennessee to attend the University of Tennessee with plans to be a UT Cheerleader. I completely chickened out, and moved on with regret my whole life. Why didn’t I try out? Why did I even come to school and not move to a performance town? Why did I hide my real passions. So I moved on and dabbled in some dance instruction, some production outlets, some recent TV acting, but when the opportunity to dance on the sidelines of a Tennessee football game about, I knew this was I needed to do, what my 18 year old self deserved to do.

I have always dreamt of what it would have been like if I followed my passion to be on tv, an SNL cast member, or a back up dancer for Britney… but it now feels like maybe I wasn’t ready for that, and now maybe, just maybe, those things are obtainable again.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well I became “viral famous” recently due to my performance at the UT football game in October and most recently at the UT Basketball game in February. Those videos have gained a lot of attention, and for various reasons. Obviously the shock of the storyline; an unsuspecting security guard ruins a dance performance, only to take over and perform within. But people really resonated with the pure joy and appreciation I had for the chance to live out my dream. And at the end of the day, people are just craving a good-time story.

My most recent event, I had to twist the story a bit and really pay it forward. I think this video gave me more validity in skills, but also, in heart. The crowd and people after the performance, noticed the passion I have to make people happy and by bringing on a group of other “Blue Shirts” including some 9 and 10 year old dancers, I think they really saw my heart.

So I am learning that the language of dance is much deeper than an 8 count.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was in the retail world for over 20 years. After the pandemic, that ended abruptly and left me with two choices: stay or play. I knew I didn’t want to stay in that world, it felt like a chance to follow my passions that I had ignored for so long. So I took the chance and chose to play, find my love in art, dance, TV, performance. I built a strong network of supportive people and took the chance. Finances have always been a dark spot for me, but I wouldn’t let that monster stop me again. I knew I had a gift that needed to be shared. Week to week, day to day it was hard. What is tomorrow’s task, where am I going next week? And as an artist, you’re the product. So there are no off days, your brain has to always be on. For me, I can’t create a product and sell it… I am the product, so it can be draining. But what I have found, the things that drain me the most, fulfill me the fastest.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I had a “me” when I was younger. A spokesperson of joy, passion and strength. Being a part of the LGBT+ community, there are a lot of times where, especially as a young person, you don’t think you can achieve your dreams. This could be from fear of standing out, pressure from society, or straight-up evil legislation. So my underlying goal is to make sure I am someone that I wish I had when I was younger. A cheerleader for my team, a trailblazer for the hiker behind me, and hold the door open for the person passing through.

As creatives, we have to make sure we celebrate and support each other. We are the best resource for ourselves.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dancingblueshirtguy
• Youtube: @dancingblueshirtguy
• Other: TikTok: @dancingblueshirtguy

Image Credits
@allyrobinsonphotoo @talashatara @awsnapphoto