It’s a dancer’s worst nightmare. You’re in the middle of a performance you’ve rehearsed over and over when all of a sudden you forget what you’re doing. Everyone else is in sync, and you’re hopelessly out of step, trying desperately to not make it obvious that you’re completely lost.
That’s sort of what happened to Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush earlier this week during a basketball half-time performance. Bush didn’t forget the routine, though—it just suddenly changed on her in the middle of it. The song, the routine, all of it. To her credit, Bush rallied, smiled and did her best to improvise, but it was clear she was lost. For a torturous 20 seconds, she tried to keep up—and then she figured out what was really going on.
What started out as a nightmare turned into a heartwarming surprise that the rest of her fellow dancers were in on.
Watch:
How can a video be so painful to watch and yet end up with such a happy ending? The poor girl was so confused until she actually heard what the song had been changed to—Bruno Mars’ “Marry You“—and realized it had to have been changed for her.
According to KSL News, the proposal had been planned in secret since earlier in the month. Bush’s boyfriend (now fiance) Brandon had asked Jazz Dancers director Ashley Kelson if it were possible to pop the question on the court.
“I wanted to make it big and special for her for sure,” Kelson told the outlet. “Making it a part of the routine was so much fun.”
Kelson scheduled Bush to be at a community event during a rehearsal where the other dancers learned the alternate routine. The team only had one practice to rehearse the proposal, and they pulled it off beautifully.
“It was an honor to plan with Brandon and be a part of their special moment and just proud of my team for keeping it a surprise,” Kelson said. “It definitely was a team effort.”
And it was definitely a proposal to remember. Congratulations, Danielle and Brandon!
This article originally appeared three years ago.
