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Taylor Swift is not afraid to “Shake It Off,” and if you’ve seen just about any award show – including the 2025 Grammys – you’d know that to be very true. Across her career, the pop star has made headlines for busting a move at these high-profile events even when no one else is. Now, an old interview has resurfaced where she explains her unabashed dancing, and it makes me want to get down with her to any sick beat.
This all came up because Swift was speaking about “Shake It Off” and the inspirations for that song during an interview about 1989 for Scholastic Web Chat (via tayswiftruclub). The track came to be in part because of how she dances at award shows and the attention she gets for it. However, that attention doesn’t bother her one bit, as she explained while talking about why she loves to bust a move:
I have like the best time dancing when people are performing. I think it’s so cool that you’re at this award show and there’s so many cool artists up on stage and they’re performing their songs, it’s like you’re at the best concert ever. But you’re sitting there and you’re in the front row of this award show and every artist is like this [makes a scowling face], like as if they’re bored by it. But it’s the coolest thing, those are the greatest artists out right now, they’re performing for you. I just decided I would have fun with it so I’m always up and dancing.
She really is “always up and dancing.” At the Grammys this year, she could be seen jamming out to Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and more. Heck, she even got and wore Janelle Monáe’s jacket after her energizing performance. And that was only this year.
Every year, she makes headlines for this. In 2022, Swift danced with Dylan O’Brien at the VMAs. In 2023, she went viral for busting a move to Demi Lovato, Shakira and more. She also notably made headlines in 2024 for dancing to Katy Perry’s performance. And those are just three examples out of what feels like a countless number.
To that point, the “Out of the Woods” singer explained that she knows she dances awkwardly, but that doesn’t matter, because she’s having a blast. It was that notion that inspired one of Swift’s best music videos, “Shake It Off,” as she explained:
I’m really tall and lanky, so I look a little bit like a baby giraffe learning how to walk while I dance. So, there would be all over the internet it was like ‘Taylor Swift looks awkward when she dances.’ Like ‘She’s so bad at dancing.’ And so the way I handle that now, like that criticism, is I wrote a song called ‘Shake It Off,’ and as soon as I wrote the song, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the music video. I knew that I wanted to do an entire music video of me awkwardly, badly dancing.
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off – YouTube 
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Following the 2025 Grammys, this clip of Swift talking about her love for dancing at these shows went viral again on TikTok thanks to swiftstorturedpoetry. Many fans took to the comments to show their support for her actions and the meaning behind them, and I think it’s safe to say we want to “shake it off” with Taylor Swift one day:
The “yes I am doing this awkwardly, but I’m having more fun than you” is one of my mantras that really did change my life and personality. -Sam
She meant THATS A FREE CONCERT IN FRONT OF YOU!! -Shenna
Mind you that interview was 10 years ago. Like it just felt so amazing that a person can go through so many phases and changes but never really go anywhere. She’s still the same soul we’ve known. -mloitran
This is why admire her. She’s teaching young girls that it’s okay to live even if you look awkward! -Jaz
I legitimately love how much she loves music. -Shea
She has never changed, never will. Love you Taylor 🥰 -Ryan_Skywalker432
I agree with every single one of these on a spiritual level. Every time Taylor Swift has a new project, I’m always dancing with joy and to the music, and I do so shamelessly, like I’m at an award show with her.
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So, it’s nice to know she’s just as enthusiastic and as much of a fangirl as us. The gal loves music deeply, and that is infectious, especially when we get to see her show it through her award-show dance moves.
Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies — including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she’s enjoyed every second of it.
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