If you’ve scrolled through TikTok lately, you’ve probably noticed a new trend: Bopping down a corridor towards the camera to the tune of Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical song “Revolting Children.” The speed-of-light dance is a pure burst of serotonin. In part, that’s because the original version, which features a clip of the new Matilda movie, is brought to life by one very special — and maybe mysterious — dancer: The Red Beret Girl. So, who exactly is this blonde-bobbed, beret-wearing mystery dancer?

Enter Meesha Garbett, who plays Hortensia — aka the girl in the red beret — in Matilda the Musical. And in case the clip didn’t make this clear, she describes herself as a “dancer at heart.” 

Garbett started dancing at 3 years old, and has since accrued a rather impressive résumé: She’s a two-time world champion street dancer, a world body popping battle finalist, and a two-time British Contemporary Champion. She has danced in the Cats movie, Jingle Jangle, and has backed Justin Bieber in a live concert.

But the highlight of her young career? “Filming [Matilda] was like the best experience of my life!” Garbett tells Tudum. “All the children involved were SO nice… and I loved working with the choreographers. They were truly amazing.” 

In addition to Garbett’s magnetism, the popularity of the dance is the dynamic forward motion and choreography. Matilda the Musical director Matthew Warchus tells Tudum that he envisioned the scene “like an unstoppable flood of energy coming towards us so that the power of the kids’ revolution is in your face.” 

With so many dancers and so much movement, it was a tough scene to nail. “On the day, it was shot walking backwards very quickly with a Steadicam,” Warchus says. “There were many elements to synchronize –– the dance steps, the singing, the parkour, the classroom kids, the falling papers blown by fans, the paper planes. I think we did about 10 takes. Eventually everything came together perfectly.” 

Still, no one behind the dance sequence expected it to become a viral craze — with stars like JoJo Siwa and Missy Elliott responding to it. “I guess I knew it had to have a proper feeling of revolution… but no, [I never anticipated] this level of momentum,” Matilda the Musical choreographer Ellen Kane tells Tudum. 

Kane is thrilled at the enthusiastic fan response. “I am so happy people are responding, enjoying and getting it,” she says. “I wanted to make something that would do justice to what I know kids can achieve –– I’ve spent many, many years working with them –– and the way dance and choreography can completely sum something up and give you that rush. It’s what made me dance in the first place.” 

And the response has been affirming for Garbett, too. “It’s been AMAZING,” she says. “People have recognized me in the street, and some have asked to have pictures with me. Everyone has just been so nice and praised my dancing.” 

Ultimately, though, Garbett is thrilled that the dance helps to advance the film’s core themes.

“I love that Matilda stands up for herself,” she says of the film. “It’s not OK to be bullied, and if you don’t think something is right, you shouldn’t do it or allow it.” And in the spirit of the song, she says, sometimes this means, “You have to be a little bit naughty.”

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical will be available to stream on Dec. 25 in the US and in theaters Dec. 9. Revolting children, rejoice!