Charlottean Charity Holloway danced on Lizzo’s Prime Video show — and now, it has 3 Emmys

Editor’s note: This story originally published in July and has been updated to include the show’s Emmy win.

Have you watched Prime Video’s “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”? If so, then you witnessed Charlotte native Charity Holloway’s dance journey throughout the series, which first aired in March. While the marketing account executive didn’t make the final cut of full-figured dancers who joined Lizzo’s tour, she experienced a life-changing performance in April on “Saturday Night Live.” And, there’s more.

Now, she’s celebrating the show winning three Emmys, including one for Outstanding Competition Program, one for Directing and one for Picture Editing. (The show had been nominated for six Emmys overall, including Cinematography, Sound Mixing and Casting.)

“We won. Congrats to all my fellow sisters/castmates and a special thank you to @lizzobeeating for giving us the platform,” Holloway said via Instagram.

Dancing on SNL

The opportunity to dance with Lizzo on the SNL stage was unexpected. Holloway became aware of Lizzo’s upcoming performance after seeing a teaser online. Shortly afterward, she was asked about her own availability during the same time frame and the rest is history, she said.

“To have that opportunity to perform in front of a live audience and on stage with Lizzo and be viewed by millions of people around the world, that’s pretty unforgettable,” Holloway told CharlotteFive in July.

With a few rehearsals under her belt, she — along with three other castmates — hit the stage in a purple ensemble and danced along as Lizzo performed “About Damn Time.”

“That was totally unexpected and was definitely one of the biggest things I’ve ever done in my whole life,” Holloway said. “I was just honored that Lizzo believed in me and gave me that opportunity to represent her.”

Holloway recently had another opportunity to represent the cast. In Lizzo’s absence, some cast members attended the Critics Choice Real TV Awards, where they accepted an award for “Best Competition Series: Talent/Variety.”

Returning to Charlotte’s dance community

After the recent whirlwind, Holloway is channeling her energy toward returning to her Charlotte roots, which are near and dear to her heart.

She’s returning to her role as an instructor at NC Dance District in Charlotte, creating new content with her plus-sized dance troupe, 4Thirty-Two and working with Project: Full Out — an organization that promotes therapeutic benefits of dance and provides training and opportunities for dancers to perform with the goal to diversify Charlotte’s dance community.

Holloway was recently named a featured choreographer for Project Full Out’s six-to-eight week program, which ends with a live dance concert where local dancers of all levels will be featured. She’s gearing up for rehearsals to start in July, with a performance Labor Day weekend.

“In the Charlotte community, this gives a lot of people the opportunity to perform on stage,” she said. “So, it’s a really big deal for the Charlotte dance community.”

Holloway’s return to local dance doesn’t mean she’s stopped dreaming big or challenging herself to improve. While it could be easy to get complacent after accomplishing a couple of life goals, it’s important for Holloway to continue to push herself, she said.

“I didn’t even foresee myself going on the show,” Holloway said. “So the fact that I’ve been able to go on the show and also perform and live out some of my biggest, wildest dreams is amazing.”

She’s also grateful to Lizzo for her continued feedback support.

“I wasn’t one of the tour girls, so I think it says a lot about Lizzo that she still gives me the opportunity to be a part of her journey and what she’s doing to uplift the plus-sized community through her music.”

You can follow Holloway on Instagram @_charityholloway_.

This story was originally published July 12, 2022 at 6:00 AM.