This week, veteran choreographer Frank Gatson revealed a fun fact that even the Bey Hive wouldn’t have guessed. In 2008, Beyoncé went viral for her hit song “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” But beyond the catchy tune, fans quickly fell in love with the music video’s choreography, which features the iconic hand gesture that became a universal symbol to “put a ring on it.”
However, Gatson, who choreographed the hit music video, says Jay-Z is to thank for the popular hand gesture. In a recent appearance on the “Dance Dish” podcast, the choreographer revealed that it was Beyoncé’s husband who invented that move.
“Even this here, right […] I didn’t make this up,” Gatson explained while mimicking the gesture. “I didn’t make this up. Who made it up? Jay-Z. One day, we’re sitting just like this. We were talking about what women do when they say, ‘Put a ring on it.’ And he said, ‘They do this,’ and then he did like that [motion].”
Just as the choreographer is not shy to credit Jay-Z for the popular hand motion, Gatson explained that Bob Fosse’s choreography strongly inspired the music video’s choreography in a 1960s project titled “Mexican Breakfast,” starring Gwen Verdon.
“That’s where Single Ladies is from…that’s the reference that we used,” he shared. “ I showed it to Beyoncé years before ‘Single Ladies’ and she remembered it.”
