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'Left Shark' dancer breaks silence on Katy Perry Super Bowl show: I didn't flub it

The "Left Shark" dancer from Katy Perry's 2015 Super Bowl halftime show revealed in a new interview with NPR that his big viral moment wasn't actually a mistake.
/ Source: TODAY

Super Bowl sensation “Left Shark” is back. And he wants to clear the air.

The dancer, who became a viral sensation during Katy Perry’s halftime show three years ago for seemingly botching the choreography, broke his silence to NPR and insisted his performance was intentional.

“So there’s a set choreography. There’s also what’s called freestyle choreography, or like you get to move around or play your character as a dancer, right?” the dancer, Bryan Gaw, told NPR.

Image: Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show
Katy Perry performs with her shark dancers during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2015. Rob Carr / Getty Images

“I’m in a 7-foot blue shark costume … there’s no cool in that, so what’s the other option? Well I’m gonna play a different character … this is an underdog. It’s an everyday person.”

Gaw, who toured with Perry for five years, left the road about a year ago and is now a hair stylist in West Hollywood.

During his 2015 performance, which became one of the most talked-about moments during Super Bowl halftime history, so-called “Right Shark” seemed to follow the choreography with Perry, while “Left Shark” seemed off, flailing and spinning around in circles.

Gaw’s character became an internet sensation overnight, with #LeftShark trending all over social media. But Gaw said he didn’t reveal his identity or give any interviews at the time because he didn’t draw attention away from Perry.

But today he wants people to know it’s not a bad thing to dance to the beat of your own drum.

“Don’t take life so seriously,” Gaw advised. “I was on the biggest stage in the world, acting crazy, and I got a lot of press and a lot of attention for it, in the most positive ways. It’s great. Be you. Do you.”

“You don’t have to be perfect. Nobody has to be perfect in life,” he told NPR.

No word on if Justin Timberlake, who is performing during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, has plans for dancers in giant animal costumes to join him on stage.