Who is Drea Kelly – the dancer from Beyoncé’s viral song?

Beyoncé’s song ‘II Hands II Heaven’ from her latest album ‘Cowboy Carter’ has sparked a viral TikTok trend inspired by a dance performed by Drea Kelly.

The dance has taken TikTok by storm, with celebrities including Chloe Bailey and Donté Colley trying out the routine.

Who is Drea Kelly?

Andrea Kelly, better known as Drea, is a professional dancer, choreographer and actress who went viral after performing a sensual dance on social media. Kelly currently teaches dance fitness and burlesque classes in Atlanta.

Kelly is also the ex-wife of singer R. Kelly, who is currently in prison. The couple divorced in 2009 and Drea Kelly has been criticized for keeping her ex-husband’s last name.

However, Kelly is refreshingly honest about the fact that she is keeping the name for recognition. In an appearance on VH1, Kelly said:

“At the end of the day, if my last name wasn’t Kelly, you wouldn’t look me up on Instagram and you wouldn’t look me up and TMZ wouldn’t call me. If I was Mrs. Jones, on the corner, going through the same things, no one would care…What I do with my last name should be more important than why I kept it.”

Following the release of ‘Cowboy Carter’, Kelly’s smooth dance routine proved popular on TikTok, prompting many to try the moves themselves, with the routine becoming something of a meme.

TikTok creators had fun with the seductive flow of the dance, joking that they would use the moves to get their friend’s attention, or just to show off some girl power.

Many creators joked that Beyoncé might be confused by seeing her fans perfectly in sync with the dance routine during her next performance of the song. Interestingly enough, even though Kelly is a fan of Beyoncé, she didn’t originally dance to “Cowboy Carter.”

In the viral footage, Kelly danced to Muddy Waters’ “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” but a TikTok user edited the clip to Beyonce’s “II Hands II Heaven” and the association stuck.

Speaking to USA Today about her dance that went viral, Kelly said her routine had “taken on a life of its own.”

Kelly had been performing the dance for a few years before the internet started taking notice, but the routine is older than you might expect.

“In Chicago there’s a dance called the Percolator,” Kelly said. “So this move that everyone sees me doing is basically an old-fashioned house music dance, and it fits perfectly.”

TikTok creators and commentators were amazed by 50-year-old Kelly’s agility and effortless charisma. Kelly hopes others will be inspired by her success.

“I want this to be a testament to people,” she said.

“Your gifts will make a way for you. And I don’t care what anyone thinks. Don’t think you’re too old. Don’t think your content is too old. “Someone might discover something you put on your page years ago and it will take on a new life.”