La La Land actor and Canadian treasure Ryan Gosling is a triple threat: he can act. He can sing. And he can dance. So for a recent appearance on the British Graham Norton Show alongside Emma Stone, Sienna Miller, and Ben Affleck, the host dug up old footage of Gosling as a child star, performing as part of a dance troupe.
“It’s a cutthroat business,” Gosling said of the youth dance world. “I had to get out.” Luckily, he stayed in it long enough for this showstopper of a performance, set to the tune of “Touch Me” by Cathy Dennis and choreographed alongside seven young girls; Gosling is the only boy in the group, so naturally he was placed front and center. When Norton asked Gosling how old he was in the clip, the Golden Globe winner stayed mum, however. “Old enough to know better,” he said coyly.
You have to hand it to the young Gosling of the video: he commits fully to the campy choreography, including some impressive hip thrusts and a slick spin. As for the silky shirt and drop-crotch pants?
“I wish I could say someone said, ‘Here you have to wear this,’ but that was my idea,” he admitted ruefully. “I thought, ‘I have a vision for this number. It’s lots of purple and silver Hammer pants.'” We’re just happy to see that his vision was carried out—and remains available for our viewing pleasure today. Watch it in the interview, above; the dancing commences at 3:35, and Gosling’s reactions are priceless.
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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com