His eyes stare blankly into the abyss of flashing lights and cheering fans.
A frown full of sharp teeth stays plastered to his white face. The robin blue fin on his back wobbles with nerves.
He’s prepared for this moment for weeks and he’s ready to take the stage.
And then, he flops.
During Katy Perry’s halftime show at the Super Bowl Sunday night, a back-up dancer donning a shark costume became an instant ?Internet sensation overnight.Known simply as “Left Shark,” Bryan Graw, a long-time dancer for Perry, confirmed on Instagram that “the rumors are true,” and he is indeed our masked hero.
His co-dancer and brother shark Scott Myrick, who has killer dance moves for a fish, already changed his Twitter bio to reveal he is Right Shark. Snoop Dogg also made a statement via Twitter that he was Left Shark, but even DJ Snoopadelic has more rhythm than our boy in blue.
Perry has confirmed neither claim about the identity of her sharks.
Left Shark’s dance moves during Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” resemble more of a nightmare.
His rhythm looks like that of a real shark’s, as if it were to flop onstage with Perry. But his character blows us out of the water. Through his awkwardness and failure, he becomes the “real MVP” of the Super Bowl.
Why are we so intrigued by Left Shark?
Maybe it’s the desire to see others fail; his letdown fuels us in a way that no other catastrophes can satisfy. Or when he smacks his fin on his face, we have a sense of déjà vu — a feeling that we, too, have done something mediocre and ?become a disappointment.
Sometimes we are Left Shark, and sometimes we are Right Shark, but at no point are we ever Katy Perry. Personally, I’m surprised the creepy beach balls with faces didn’t catch on.
Left Shark can teach us a thing or two about ?sensationalization on the ?Internet.
In less than 24 hours, memes popped up over Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. He’s been photoshopped on movie posters for “Finding Nemo 2” and “Sharknado.”
A parody Twitter account for our fishy friend was up and running in no time.Even the Vine of Left Shark butchering Perry’s dance sequence has gone viral. It’s a recurring reminder of a lack of grace and poise.
My personal favorite is a cropped picture of Left Shark praising to disciples in place of Jesus. He’s the hero we deserve, but not the one we need.
Is this all up to chance? Yes, Super Bowl shows are under the greatest scrutiny. From Janet Jackson’s Nipplegate, to Beyoncé’s lights blowout, to MIA’s unflattering finger gestures, the halftime show has been the focal point of critique during the biggest football game of the year.
There’s nothing you can do but simply sit back and take the evaluation in the waves that it comes. While it’s safe to assume memes occur from random, almost holy, intervention, it’s unlikely Left Shark would have gone unnoticed during one of the most televised events.
The poor guy didn’t have a chance to get a flipper wet.
maehogan@indiana.edu
