Lance Bass Relives His Iconic *NSYNC Dance 24 Years Later

If you ever get the chance to learn the “Bye Bye Bye” choreography with the former members of *NSYNC, just say yes. I did that. On the day of the dance group, based in West Hollywood, CA, Lance Bass came down the stairs at Heart Weho nightclub first – looking like the Y2K star we know and love. Musician and longtime friend Joey Fatone made a surprise appearance shortly after, joining Bass for a mini *NSYNC reunion. As I prepared to learn some of the most iconic moves in boy band history, my inner fangirl turned into a mild panic. How does one mentally prepare to humiliate themselves in front of such big stars? But as Lance Bass later reminded me, even the members of *NSYNC had to start somewhere.

“*NSYNC taught me how to dance,” Bass tells PS after class. “I used to stay behind after every practice just to learn the rhythm, because I was a singer in the choir. I knew how to do the big moves and the hands jazz, but I didn’t know any kind of hip hop.” Like the first ballet dancer with a permanently stiff back and hyperextended knees . . . this makes sense.

I step onto the dance floor, surrounded by glittering disco balls and *NSYNC-themed cocktails (special shout-out to “It’s Gonna Be a Mule”), and try my best to let go. Choreography duo Cost n’ Mayor lead us through a step-by-step dance to “Bye Bye Bye” – all as part of Marriott Bonvoy Moments’ 1-Point Drops, where members can use 1 point to apply once- once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

As the group collectively struggles to learn the music, Fatone and Bass move around the crowd, showing us how it’s done. In 2024, the “Bye Bye Bye” dance is still on social media, thanks to the “Deadpool” revival. However, a lot has changed since the group started learning to sing in 2000. “Dancing has changed, and I blame that on social media. [and] shows like ‘So You Think You Can Dance,'” Bass says.

“Dancing has changed, and I blame that on social media.”

“In my generation you didn’t see that. You were never encouraged to go out and learn to dance because you didn’t know anything. But now you grow up watching all this on TV and you have these people you can look up to, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, one day I want to be like that.’

There’s no doubt that social media has changed the way we view dance, but that doesn’t mean Bass has anything against it. In fact, he’s a TikTok star himself (though he’s too humble to admit it). “I love being on that stage because the creativity is off the charts,” he says. “So if given the chance, would *NSYNC be doing TikToks together? You just have to believe it,” he says.

“We missed that era of social media. We didn’t have Instagram or anything like that. I would have loved it, but then again we probably would have gotten into a lot of trouble,” he admits. “Especially the one over there,” he said pointing to where Fatone was sitting. “If he’d had his account in the nineties, he probably would have gotten us canceled a few times.”

Finally it’s time to play, and I bravely work my way up to join Bass and Fatone on stage, jumping, body-sliding, and banging with the best in the biz (and sometimes I still make plays). By the end of the routine, I’m sweating, but I watch in awe as the two of them finish the dance at least 10 times in a row.

As it happens, Bass’s current health regime is driven by a long period of time to support this level of performance. “As an artist, your body hurts after a while. Age really starts to catch up with you. I got diabetes later in life, so the cold comes down. [are] amazing. I try to do as much cardio as possible,” he says. “I think we just want to extend our lives a little bit. Nobody tries to live forever, but if we can have a better life, that’s all we want.”

Physically, this may mean eating better and exercising more, but Bass puts equal emphasis on his mental health. “It’s something my generation didn’t look at, especially as a young man,” he says. “But now the fun thing is talking about your mental health and ‘what can we do to help? to fight the problems we have?’ anxiety “.[I’m] just trying to be present in the moment, he says. “It’s hard to do, but it’s nice to get there.”

Chandler Plante is the assistant editor of PS Health & Fitness. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she shares on the Internet, presenting information about chronic diseases, beauty and disability.