Ryan Gosling explained his sweet childhood dance moves, and our inner ’90s kid totally gets it

We aren’t ashamed to admit that we still have so much love for all things ’90s, but that doesn’t make us any less embarrassed about recalling things we thought were so cool back then. Although it’s difficult to explain Ryan Gosling’s ’90s dance moves to a 21st century kid, the La La Land star tried his best to do just that when he and co-star Emma Stone made an appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

If you’ll recall, in 2015 a video of a young Gosling showing off his sweet ’90s dance moves surfaced on the internet. We watched in low-key horror and admiration because 1) it had to be supremely embarrassing for him to realize that everyone in the entire world was now watching this footage; and 2) if you looked past the purple shirt and silver Hammer pants, high kicks, pelvic thrusts and spins, it was evident that young Gosling actually killed it on the dance floor back in the day.

Check him out below ICYMI, and even if you didn’t, because it’s *so* worthy of repeated viewing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFRG09sHag?feature=oembed

Clearly, Gosling’s impeccable showmanship and undeniable stage presence has worked in his favor, but the Golden Globes winner still finds himself having to explain precisely WTF was going on during this nostalgic dance number.

As Gosling recalls while rewatching the hilarious old-school performance, he had a pretty intense rivalry on Canadian Star Search with a pair of twin dancers, but what we *really* want to know is what he has to say for that unforgettable outfit:

"I wish someone had said, 'Here, you have to wear this.' But that was my idea," He added, "I had a vision for this number. It's purple and silver Hammer pants."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9fUqiav_SA?feature=oembed

It’s all good, Ryan. No need for any further explanation or embarrassment. Our inner ’90s kids are with you and they totally understand.