Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime performance was a visual phenomenon that has left fans of football and the singer’s multi-platinum catalogue reeling ever since. On April 14, the varsity dance team at Los Osos High School in Southern California took Rihanna’s “Work” to heart, re-creating her halftime routine for their Spring Dance Show, down to the costumes and badass choreography.
“We definitely put in a lot of time and work into this one but every minute was so worth it.”
“Proud is an understatement,” the team’s dance coach Rachel Muego captioned a clip of the performance on her Instagram account. “The fact that they learned this in a month and a half! No matter what crazy ideas I throw out there, they take it with complete trust and bring everything to life. We definitely put in a lot of time and work into this one but every minute was so worth it.”
At one point during the performance, over 80 students were spread out across the basketball court, moving in perfect sync to the tune of “All of the Lights” by Kanye West featuring Rihanna and Kid Cudi. The routine featured tumbling, stunts, elaborate lighting, and pyrotechnic displays.
Multiple students even took turns wearing a costume version of Rihanna’s signature red jumpsuit. On fliers leading up to the event, the team also enlisted their fellow classmates to dress up in white hoodies and sunglasses as a sign of support for the performance — and to demonstrate their love for Rihanna. In the TikTok comments section, the official NFL page wrote, “This is amazing omg.”
Toward the end of the production, the school’s principal, Mr. Cypher, made a cameo, leading the pack of dancers across the basketball court as they put on an impressive light show. “I think Mr. Cypher just found a second career!” one commenter wrote on Instagram. “Another phenomenal performance!” A separate user added, “Not the principal hittin that!! He ate!”
Across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, the comments were overflowing with rave reviews. “This is so impressive. I hope Rihanna see this and come to y’all school, y’all really deserve,” one user wrote, echoing the sentiments of dozens of other commenters. While Rihanna herself hasn’t shared her thoughts on the performance, her team did give the dance crew a shoutout on social media. “Ok y’all ate it up,” the Savage x Fenty page wrote on Instagram. In a separate comment, Rihanna’s team added, “A whole high school SLAY.”
This isn’t the first time the team has stolen the spotlight. Last month, the dance crew made headlines when they put on a pep rally with performances set to a medley of Latinx dance hits, including “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny, “Pepas” by Farruko, and “Qué Calor” by J Balvin and Major Lazer featuring Saweetie. In September 2022, the team also showed off their best superhero moves with a “Spider-Man: Homecoming” routine for their homecoming rally.
As the school year comes to a close, we have a feeling the LOHS varsity dance team will be popping, shuffling, and backflipping their way into summer vacation.