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Her Dance Got Famous. Why Didn’t She?

In early 2020, everyone was doing the Renegade—even big stars like Lizzo. But no one knew that the dance was created by a 14-year-old girl named Jalaiah Harmon. Would this regular teen ever get the credit she deserved?

September 2020

by Michelle Crouch

Jalaiah Harmon was scrolling through TikTok last October when she saw something familiar.

It was in a post from a famous TikTok dancer named Charli D’Amelio. She was doing a dance to the song “Lottery” by K Camp.

“I was like, ‘Hey! That’s my dance!’” says Jalaiah, now 15. She had created it a few weeks earlier in her bedroom in Fayetteville, Georgia.

D’Amelio’s post got more than 1.4 million likes. The dance came to be known as the #Renegade. Soon celebrities like Lizzo, Millie Bobby Brown, and Kourtney Kardashian were performing their own versions.

“It was exciting that all of these people were learning my dance,” Jalaiah says. “But I was also frustrated. No one was giving me credit.”

Jalaiah Harmon was scrolling through TikTok last October when she saw something familiar.

It was in a post from a famous TikTok dancer named Charli D’Amelio. She was dancing to the song “Lottery” by K Camp.

“I was like, ‘Hey! That’s my dance!’” says Jalaiah. She had created it a few weeks earlier.

D’Amelio’s post got more than 1.4 million likes. The dance came to be known as the #Renegade. Soon stars like Lizzo, Millie Bobby Brown, and Kourtney Kardashian were performing it too.

“It was exciting that all of these people were learning my dance,” Jalaiah says. “But I was also frustrated. No one was giving me credit.”

Jalaiah Harmon was scrolling through TikTok last October when she spotted something familiar.

Charli D’Amelio, a famous TikTok dancer, was doing a dance to the song “Lottery” by K Camp.

“I was like, ‘Hey! That’s my dance!’” recalls Jalaiah, now 15. She had created the dance a few weeks earlier in her bedroom in Fayetteville, Georgia.

D’Amelio’s post got more than 1.4 million likes. The dance became known as the #Renegade. Before long, celebrities like Lizzo, Millie Bobby Brown, and Kourtney Kardashian were performing their own versions.

“It was exciting that all of these people were learning my dance,” Jalaiah says, “but I was also frustrated. No one was giving me credit.”

Dancing in the Mirror

Courtesy of Harmon Family

Jalaiah has been taking dance classes since age 3. She loves ballet, lyrical, and hip-hop.

Jalaiah has always loved to dance. As a little girl, she twirled around the house and moved to the beat. She took her first dance class when she was just 3 years old.

Today, Jalaiah still takes dance classes four times a week. She also takes part in dance competitions. Jalaiah does all types of dance, including ballet and lyrical. But hip-hop is her favorite. “Dancing just makes me feel good,” Jalaiah says. “It gets the stress off my mind.”

At home, she makes up new dances almost every day. She practices them in front of her bathroom mirror.

That’s exactly how she created the Renegade one afternoon. The dance was fast and challenging. It included popular moves such as the woah, the wave, and the dab.

Jalaiah is 15. She lives in Georgia. She has always loved to dance. She took her first dance class when she was 3.

Today, she takes dance classes four times a week. She takes part in dance competitions too. She does all types of dance, including ballet and lyrical. But hip-hop is her favorite. “Dancing just makes me feel good,” she says. “It gets the stress off my mind.”

At home, she makes up dances. She practices them in front of her bathroom mirror.

That’s how she created the Renegade one afternoon. The dance was fast and challenging. It included popular moves such as the woah, the wave, and the dab.

Jalaiah has always loved to dance. As a little girl, she twirled around the house and moved to the beat. She took her first dance class at age 3.

Today, Jalaiah takes dance classes four times a week and participates in dance competitions. Jalaiah does all types of dance, including ballet and lyrical, but hip-hop is her favorite. “Dancing just makes me feel good,” Jalaiah says. “It gets the stress off my mind.”

At home, she invents new dances almost every day and practices them in front of her bathroom mirror.

That’s how she created the Renegade one afternoon. The fast, challenging dance included popular moves like the woah, the wave, and the dab.

Going Viral

So how did the Renegade go viral? That evening, Jalaiah taught her friend Kalliyah her new dance. They posted a video of themselves doing it side by side on Instagram.

Someone else saw the Instagram post. That person brought the dance to TikTok. D’Amelio saw it on TikTok, then tried the Renegade herself. She never said she came up with the moves. But people just assumed she did.

Jalaiah tried to get her name out. She posted comments saying that she was the dance creator. So did her friends. But people either ignored them or didn’t believe them. “People kept tagging Charli,” Jalaiah says. “Everyone thought she created it.”

So how did the Renegade go viral? That night, Jalaiah taught her friend Kalliyah her new dance. They posted a video of themselves doing the dance on Instagram.

Someone else saw the Instagram post. That person brought the dance to TikTok. D’Amelio saw it on TikTok and tried it herself. She never said she came up with the moves. But people assumed she had.

Jalaiah spoke up. She posted comments saying that she was the dance creator. So did her friends. It didn’t work. “People kept tagging Charli,” Jalaiah says. “Everyone thought she created it.”

So how did the Renegade go viral? That evening, Jalaiah taught her friend Kalliyah her new dance. The two posted a video of themselves performing the dance side by side on Instagram.

Someone else saw the Instagram post and brought the dance to TikTok. D’Amelio saw it on TikTok, then tried the Renegade herself. She never said she came up with the moves, but people assumed she had.

Jalaiah worked to get the recognition she deserved. She and her friends posted comments saying that she was the dance creator—but people either ignored them or didn’t believe them. “People kept tagging Charli,” Jalaiah says. “Everyone thought she created it.”

Getting Credit

In February, someone who had seen Jalaiah’s posts told a writer about her. That writer works at The New York Times. She decided to do a story about the real creator of the Renegade.

The article changed everything. Many people who read it were angry that Jalaiah didn’t get credit for her work. She got shout-outs from Michelle Obama and Lizzo. She was even invited to perform at the NBA All-Star Game—where she finally met D’Amelio.

But the most exciting thing that happened was that Jalaiah got to go on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She’s been a fan of Ellen for a long time. “She was just like she is on TV—so nice,” Jalaiah says.

Ellen gave Jalaiah a jacket that says “The Original Renegade Dancer.” Inside the pockets was $5,000!

In February, someone told a writer about Jalaiah’s posts. That writer works at The New York Times. She wrote a story about the real creator of the Renegade.

The article changed things. Many people who read it were angry that Jalaiah didn’t get credit for her work. She got shout-outs from Michelle Obama and Lizzo. She was invited to perform at the NBA All-Star Game—where she met D’Amelio.

Jalaiah also got to go on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She’s been a fan of Ellen for a long time. “She was just like she is on TV—so nice,” Jalaiah says.

Ellen gave Jalaiah a jacket that says “The Original Renegade Dancer.” In the pockets was $5,000!

In February, someone who had seen Jalaiah’s posts told a writer about her. That writer, who works at The New York Times, decided to write an article about the real creator of the Renegade.

The article changed everything. Many people who read it were angry that Jalaiah hadn’t gotten credit for her work. She got shout-outs from Michelle Obama and Lizzo. She was even invited to perform at the NBA All-Star Game—where she finally met D’Amelio.

But the most exciting thing that happened was that Jalaiah got to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She’s been a fan of Ellen for a long time. “She was just like she is on TV—so nice,” Jalaiah remembers.

Ellen gave Jalaiah a jacket that says “The Original Renegade Dancer.” Inside the pockets was $5,000!

Dance Dreams

All the attention hasn’t been easy. Jalaiah still gets nervous when she has to talk in front of a crowd. And some people leave mean comments on her social media posts.

These days, Jalaiah has more than 2 million followers on TikTok. But Jalaiah says she wants to be more than just a social media influencer. Her goal is to be a choreographer for actors and musicians. She would also like to own a dance studio someday.

For now, Jalaiah is just happy she spoke out. D’Amelio and other influencers listened. They’ve been doing a better job giving credit to dance creators. That makes Jalaiah happy.

She hopes her story will inspire other young artists to stand up for their work.

All the attention hasn’t been easy. Jalaiah still gets nervous when she has to talk in front of a crowd. And some people leave mean comments on her social media posts.

Jalaiah now has more than 2 million followers on TikTok. But she wants to be more than just a social media influencer. Her goal is to be a choreographer for actors and musicians. She would also like to own a dance studio someday.

Jalaiah is glad she spoke out. D’Amelio and other influencers listened. They’re doing a better job giving credit to dance creators. That makes Jalaiah happy.

She hopes her story will inspire other young artists to stand up for their work.

All the attention has come with some challenges: Jalaiah still gets nervous before speaking in front of a crowd, and people sometimes leave unkind comments on her social media posts.

These days, Jalaiah has more than 2 million followers on TikTok. Still, she dreams of being more than just a social media influencer. Her goals for the future include becoming a choreographer for actors and musicians and owning a dance studio.

For now, Jalaiah is just happy she spoke up for herself. Because of Jalaiah’s actions, D’Amelio and other influencers have been making greater efforts to give credit to dance creators. That gives Jalaiah a great deal of satisfaction.

She hopes her story will inspire other young artists to demand credit for their work.

ACTIVITY:
Cause and Effect

You’ve just read “Her Dance Got Famous. Why Didn’t She?” Now it’s time to do this activity.

Tip: A cause is what makes something happen. An effect is what happens as a result.

What to do: Use the chart below to help you understand how one cause can have many effects. Answer the questions in the boxes, using details from the article.