There’s no denying that IHC 1NFINITY sweetheart Gavin Turek is dynamite in the studio; her vocals are off-the-charts angelic Donna Summer disco vibes and her tracks are a competing mixture of groovy and funky. But! She’s also got a secret weapon she uses in tandem with her powerhouse voice to win audiences over: chick can dance. Like, really dance. I’ve actually never seen anyone move with the energy, somatic dexterity and glorious flailing weirdness as Gavin, except for that time I saw Cirque du Soleil on mushrooms and cried into a bagel. Speaking as someone who can’t dance anymore than I can land a spacecraft, watching her move is pretty flooring.
So, after seeing her perform at Austin Party Weekend and during her recent residency at Pour Vous (in which she descended onto the stage in a giant birdcage, #casual) I asked her to show me how she did it.
Turns out she’s got six core moves that she builds off of when she performs … six moves that she’s gonna show you how to do right here, right now in GIF format because reading SUX. Of course you need music to dance (unless you’re chilling at a dumb ass silent disco), so click play on the SoundCloud link below to see how Gavin dances to her new singles “Frontline” and “Don’t Fight It.”
And now … the moves.
Ever hangrily rummaged through your roommate’s vast expanse of aging take-out only to be caught red-handed with a mouthful of lo mein? Channel that vibe by squat-pivoting on one foot and using your arms to offer up your body in remorse as if to say “Sorry sorry sorry I’m not sorry sorry … etc.” Hair toss at the end for dramatic emphasis, then repeat.
You’re standing in an intersection. The traffic lights are out, due to an earthquake or like … clouds. You flunked out of the police academy, but the city needed traffic directors, so you’ve been relegated to this important civic duty. In front of you is a car. To your left is another car. You wave the car on the left through because its license plate says “420 BUTT.” You hold your right arm out in a “stop” formation so the car in front of you stays put. You’re just so goddamn happy to have a job and all four of your limbs that you put some pep in your step and wind up your arm like it’s the windmill that f*cked with Don Quixote heavily. Hair toss. Hair toss.
You know when your boyfriend wants to rob a bank but you want NO PART OF THAT, ETHAN, NO PART OF IT AT ALL, but you still love him because he’s both cool and rad, so you tell him you’ll at least distract the security guard? Of course you do. To do this monumental favor for Ethan, alternate planted leg swivels and hip shimmies with spirit fingers, then wink and nod knowingly at the guard, who’s probably been waiting like 13 years for something like this to happen. Hair toss.
Oh no! You’ve caught me in an intimate yet candid moment that was in no way staged to increase my media visibility as a struggling actress! That’s the kind of sentiment you want to emote for this one. Standing in place, shift your weight back and forth between your legs, sassily. With one arm, push the invisible paparazzi away (they’ll be visible paparazzi one day, promise), and with with the other, feign an “Oh my!” moment that comes off as a cross between scripted shock and Marilyn Monroe posing.
It’s happy hour. What more excuse do you need to to jump around like you just found out you are not the father? This one has no rhyme or reason, it’s just a pure expression of jumping and glee. Just channel the way this guy in the GIF below feels, and the moves should come naturally.
Raise your hands above your head and #praisehim because you are an unencumbered young millennial who just won a free month on Tinder. Snap those fingers and use the resulting echolocation to attract potential mates. Let your legs demonstrate your immense singularity by frolicking from side to side, bending at the knee kind of like you’re stepping on lava but that lava is is just your hotness melting the earth’s crust. There you go, you’re getting it!
Great job, you. Now that you know how to move like the legend that is Gavin Turek, check out TOKiMONSTA and StarRo‘s remixes of “Frontline and Don’t Fight It” in the G.T. remix package we just released. Also, something to look forward to: Gavin Turek music videos, coming soon to a crusty Macbook near you. We’ll keep you updated on that front.
