‘Security guard’ shocks crowd at University of Tennessee game

File/ @vol_danceteam on TikTok

Michael Galyean, who posed as a security guard at the University of Tennessee football field, absolutely shocked game attendees when he surprise performed with the dance team at a football game against the University of Kentucky. 

The dance team posted a TikTok video on their account @vol_danceteam which has surpassed 15 million views. In this video, Galyean is seen posing as a security guard before he joined the team’s dance routine. 

Galyean is no stranger to cheering, as he cheered in high school and had plans to continue into college. He told Newsweek that he was too intimidated to try out when he actually enrolled in college at the University of Tennessee. 

Galyean did not revisit cheer for many years as he finished school and found a job. In college, he took a dance class which helped for this moment. 

After he lost his job after working in retail for more than 20 years, he took it as a sign to pursue his true passions. He told Newsweek, “So, I’ve spent the last year just throwing darts, whether it’s been the TV work that we have here in Knoxville, in front of and behind the camera, trying different things… I host events around town, and I work with different dance outlets.”

The team was looking for different ways that they could build team experience and Galyean has known Kelley Tafazzoli, the dance team’s Spirit Program Director. 

The University of Tennesee’s Dance Team is one of the most decorated dance programs in the country with seven national championships to their name. 

What may surprise some is that Galyean received the video on Oct. 23 just to perform it on Oct. 29th with only an hour of official dance practice alongside the team. 

In the video, Galyean is shown standing in front of the team, “blocking” them, wearing a pair of khakis and a blue polo. While he’s standing, someone else approaches him, looking as if they are arguing. As the argument seems to start, Galyean backs up and breaks into an impressive routine with the team. 

This video blew up, with viewers loving it just as much as the crowd. Galyean told Newsweek, “To go and be on the stand and kind of see the rollercoaster of emotions that the fans went through, you know, it goes from football and excitement, and then they see this guy that’s just interrupting the dance team”. He also stated that he didn’t expect the reaction to be so shockingly warm, noting, “It fed my 18-year-old high school cheerleading soul.”

He continues to be involved with the team as the advisor for the dance company. He is also involved as a choreographer for the area’s high school musical theater program. 

You can view the popular TikTok here.