New Orleans’ No 1. traffic dancer 5WAG came to Baton Rouge this weekend to pioneer his new musical style.
5WAG, who recently became a songwriter in addition to his dancing, performed at the Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room on Jan 26 for the first time. His music, rap-floetry, is supposed to be inspirational and suitable for all age groups. He wants it to be both entertaining and uplifting.
“It’s an R&B motivational, inspirational dancing hype music type thing,” 5WAG said. “It kind of fell upon me and I pretty much like doing this, it’s fun. It’s a hobby of mine.”
5WAG is an entertainer for hire, dancing in front of businesses like Liberty Tax and El Taco Loco to bring attention to them. He’s out in all weather, sometimes dancing with a sign, sometimes wearing a costume. Dancing has been his lifelong interest, something he does every single day.
5WAG started dancing at a very early age and kept practicing even through extreme bullying in high school. When he was attacked after graduation, it took him three months to recover from a shattered jaw — time he spent practicing. For him, dancing was an outlet.
“It made me want to keep going because I didn’t have anything else,” 5WAG said. “I put all my pain in it, all my frustration.”
Since then, 5WAG has become a familiar figure in New Orleans, where there’s a mural depicting him dancing in costume. He’s been interviewed and featured on nola.com as the best traffic dancer in the New Orleans area.
Videos of him dancing and rapping are posted on YouTube, and he was also shown in the movie “Girls Trip.” 5WAG has also performed at festivals and churches.
5WAG wants to promote both his music and his dancing, hoping to eventually alternate between the two, or combine them. In his performance at the Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, he did both, hoping to gain more exposure and new audiences after promoting his work in the LSU Student Union.
5WAG first came up with the name for his music because he wants to communicate a certain type of image and mood. Rap-floetry is supposed to be a new and changing style.
“Floetry sounds like a river, it flows and doesn’t stay in one place but when you see it coming you feel a breeze,” 5WAG said. “It’s pretty cool.”
If his first performance at Henry Turner Jr’s Listening Room garners enough attention and publicity he hopes to expand in the area, maybe even starting to traffic dance for Baton Rouge businesses. For now, his immediate goal is to give a good show.
“Dance a little bit, rap a little but, give you guys the whole show, the whole night long,” 5WAG said.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly stated that 5WAG performed in front of Taco Bell and not El Taco Loco. It has been updated. The Reveille regrets this error.
