CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In 2021, a Charlotte plus-size dancer got the chance of a lifetime after being selected as a cast member on Lizzo’s show “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.”
What You Need To Know
- Charity Holloway started the plus-size dance troupe 4Thirty-Two in Charlotte in 2016
- In 2021, she was selected as a cast member on Lizzo’s show “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”
- Since the show aired, she’s performed with Lizzo nationwide, gearing up for Bonnaroo later this week
Charity Holloway is living out a dream.
The hip-hop choreographer started the plus-size dance troupe 4Thirty-Two in 2016, giving the reserved marketing accountant an outlet to express herself.
“It’s almost like my alter-ego when I dance, you know what I mean?” she said.
Holloway says the troupe’s name is inspired by a Bible verse about watering a seed and watching it grow.
“It was really like my love letter to the community, the plus-size community, because I really wanted to show that you can really grow your self-confidence and be you,” she said. “And, you can discover that through the art of dance.”
Like the seed she planted with 4Thirty-Two, she says her dream has sprouted far beyond the Queen city, sending her to Hollywood last summer.
“I actually cried,” she said.
She cried when she got a call she couldn’t ignore. Holloway had been chosen as a cast member on music icon Lizzo’s TV dance competition, “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.”
Holloway now had the chance to take center stage on a national tour and join the superstar in her efforts to spread body positivity. A message Holloway started with 4Thirty-Two.
Since the show’s taping, she’s performed with Lizzo across the country, even appearing on Saturday Night Live.
Holloway is not a professionally-trained dancer, so this opportunity has been a confidence boost.
“I earned my way here, like, I am right where I’m supposed to be,” she said. “So, even though my journey might look different from some of these other girls, it doesn’t make me less worthy.”
Whenever she’s back in town, she makes time for a round of spades with her closest friends.
“Being in showbiz and just doing things – it’s a lot of hard work, and sometimes I can get in my head. It’s long practices you’ve got to perform,” she said. “So, being around my friends just allows me to kind of like let my hair down metaphorically.”
Surrounding herself with women who inspire her just as much as she inspires them, like Sabrina Barnes, who started dancing after she saw Holloway’s moves.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, she’s plus size like me, and she is killing it,’” Barnes said.
Holloway says the biggest challenge she’s had to overcome is the stereotype that plus-sized people are unhealthy. She’s set to perform with Lizzo at the Bonnaroo Music Festival later this week.