The Identity Of Katy Perry’s Iconic ‘Left Shark’ Has Been Revealed

Nearly three years after going viral for their performance in Katy Perry’s 2015 Superbowl show, the person inside the iconic Left Shark costume has revealed their identity.

Left Shark, you might remember, was the backup dancer who completely forgot the moves during Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ performance. And we don’t just mean one move — we’re talking the whole bloody routine.

With 114 million odd people watching the halftime show, it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Yes i have 4 years of Juilliard and i was shark number 2 in a little production called the Super bowl” pic.twitter.com/hiVCZtDI8B

— Desus Nice (@desusnice) February 2, 2015

Now, a few days out from Left Shark’s three year anniversary, Los Angeles dancer and hairstylist Bryan Gaw has come forward to claim responsibility for his dancing.

In an interview with NPR, Gaw explained that contrary to popular belief, he didn’t actually forget the dance moves — he was simply doing “freestyle choreography.”

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

Apparently, the Left Shark’s goofy moves were totally intentional. Gaw wanted the Shark to be an “underdog”, an imperfect person just doing their best. (Which perhaps seems a little too Method for a fluffy, 7-foot shark, but then again I’m not a dancer.)

After the Left Shark meme took off, Gaw refused to do interviews because he didn’t want to take the spotlight away from Katy Perry. Now, he loves it: ” I don’t get any negative feedback from it. If anything, people are, like, ‘Whoa, that’s so cool!’ ”

He even lists Left Shark on his CV.