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A British dancer went viral by donning Tina Turner drag and dancing in his street to the her hit, ‘Proud Mary.’
Austyn Farrell was raised in Leicestershire but is now based in London. As a dancer, he’s performed alongside pop bands such as Steps and on Britain’s Got Talent, as well as work in Las Vegas. However, as a freelancer, the coronavirus pandemic has seen his work disappear.
To help pass the time, and to keep his anxiety at bay, he’s instead started performing elaborate dance routines in his street. It’s keeping his mind occupied and body in shape, entertains his neighbors, and is seeing him build an appreciative following on social media.
He started out with Disney Princesses and clips from movies such as A Chorus Line. A rendition of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 To 5’ earned a like and comment from the country icon herself.
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However, it was a rendition of Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’ a few days ago that has gone viral, being shown on BBC Show The One Show and re-shared by Oprah Magazine on its Instagram feed yesterday.
Farrell told the website GuysLikeU, “Monday to Friday, I perform songs outside my house for my neighbors and post it on my Instagram. The productions have been growing and growing, it’s getting ridiculous but it’s all fun. I enjoy it and it makes everyone laugh which is important at these times.”
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He says losing work has been tough: “Being self-employed has been pretty crap during this period but there’s many of us in the exact same boat so we all just have to ride the wave I guess … I’ve tried to stay positive, happy and safe. The best thing we can do is stay home so there is no point worrying and letting my anxiety go mad.”
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He also shared a sweet story about coming out. He says he first knew for certain he was gay when he fell in love with another boy when he started dance lessons at the age of 15. He was terrified of telling his family.
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“I started with my mum one weekend. I waited until she had been out and came home all merry. I sat next to her and started shaking as I said the words ‘mum, I’m gay and I have a boyfriend’. She replied smiling, ‘I know, son’.
“The next day she came and gave me the biggest hug and said what would I like for breakfast like nothing had changed. I then received a call from my dad saying ‘would you like me to be honest, son. I’ve known since you were three years old when you were wearing your nan’s heels and it will never change how proud and how much I love you’.”
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jackmister
BRAVA, DIVA!
WillParkinson
That…was…EPIC.
Kangol2
Very nice!
sonic_source
The grapefruit hooters are FIRE!!!
Dymension
I’m in love
Joshooeerr
And he seems to be wearing the exact same wig Tina wore. Or one at least as convincing.
hkgjefe1
he’s fun AND gorgeous – sign me up!
arnieca
a joyous breath of fresh air!
Cam
His neighbors are probably thrilled since they’re running out of new stuff on streaming to watch. 🙂