- calendar_today August 31, 2025
It Was Just a Dance—But It Felt Like It Came From Right Around Here
If you’re from the Southwest, you know how powerful something small can be. A sunrise over red clay hills. A kid spinning circles in a dusty backyard. The kind of joy that doesn’t need much—just space to breathe.
That’s exactly how Kelley Heyer’s Apple dance felt. It wasn’t flashy or overproduced. It was real. Just Kelley, vibing to Charli XCX, moving with a kind of lightness that made you smile without even meaning to. That dance looked like it came from someone’s tiled living room in Albuquerque or the back porch of a Phoenix apartment on a quiet Friday night.
It blew up on TikTok because people felt it. And especially around here, where self-expression often comes with a side of scrappy hustle, it felt like one of our own had made something magical.
And Then That Joy Got Scooped Up Without Her Name on It
Here’s where the story takes a turn—and it’s one that’s way too familiar if you’ve ever tried to make something out of nothing.
While Kelley was still in talks with Roblox about licensing her Apple dance, the company went ahead and dropped it in their game Dress to Impress. No signed contract. No deal sealed. Just—there it was. Packaged up as an emote people could buy for $1.25.
That little bit of heart she’d poured into a moment? Suddenly a product.
And not one she got paid for.
Let’s lay it out:
- The emote sold more than 60,000 times
- Roblox reportedly made about $123,000 from it
- Kelley didn’t see a dime
- The emote was removed in November, but the damage was already done
- She had already licensed the dance properly to Fortnite and Netflix
She did everything right. And it still got taken.
That Hits Different Out Here
In the Southwest, we know what it’s like to work with what you’ve got. We’re makers. Hustlers. People who turn parking lots into photo shoots and backyard fences into dance stages. The talent here runs deep—even if the spotlight doesn’t always reach this way.
So when we see someone like Kelley—someone who built something from scratch—get pushed aside like her work didn’t matter? Yeah, it stings.
We’ve been there. Posting videos late at night from places with sketchy WiFi. Creating from sweat and secondhand gear. Hoping the world takes notice without taking advantage.
Roblox Gave the Corporate Line—We’re Giving It to You Straight
Their response? “We respect intellectual property and are confident in our legal position.”
That’s not a real answer.
Out here, when you mess up, you own it. You don’t hide behind lawyer talk. You fix it. Because doing right by people means something here.
This Isn’t Just About a Dance. It’s About the People Who Make Things That Matter
Kelley isn’t just a TikTok dancer. She’s a creator. A reminder that sometimes the biggest cultural moments come from the smallest places.
And now she’s doing what so many of us wish we could—standing up and saying no. No to being erased. No to being taken for granted. No to the idea that creativity only counts if it’s owned by a company.
Around Here, We Don’t Forget the Ones Who Create from the Heart
In the Southwest, we remember who brought the energy first. We keep names in our mouths and credit where it’s due. We protect the makers because they reflect who we are—resilient, creative, and absolutely worth listening to.
So yeah, this might just be about a dance.
But it’s also about respect. And out here, we don’t give that away without meaning it. Just like Kelley didn’t give away her dance. And now, she’s making sure the world knows it.
