LOS ANGELES — One of the more indelible images from the first 13 episodes of "Glee" wasn't on the stage, it was on the football field.
Specifically, when the woeful McKinley High football team performed a dance number to Beyonce's "Single Ladies," stunning their opponents and scoring the winning touchdown.
And it wasn't easy. Dancing in football uniforms, that is. Even for the cast's resident professional dancer, Harry Shum Jr. (who plays glee club member Mike Chang).
"It's very difficult to dance in football gear. It really is," Shum told the Deseret News on the set of "Glee." "You have to exaggerate all the movements. It was actually, I think, one of the hardest dances we've had to do. Because you're just constricted.
"We're out there and the director is yelling, 'Make it bigger! Maker it bigger!' And I'm, like, 'I am making it bigger,' " he said with a laugh.
Shum hasn't exactly been front and center on "Glee" — although he's been in just about every episode, he's billed as a guest star.
And, while he hasn't had many lines, you've heard more of him than you're probably aware. Shum is singing on numbers like "Don't Stop Believing" even though his character wasn't on camera.
Unlike other cast members, his background is both dancing and singing. He's been a lead dancer with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson. He's a dancer and choreographer with the dance troupe Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. (He choreographed part of the number the troupe performed on the Oscars.)
Shum was even one of the silhouettes on the popular iPod commercials. And he has a string of dancing and acting roles in TV episodes and movies.
"I've been able to do a lot of things I never would have imagined," he said.
Including "Glee," which he never expected to turn out to be a regular gig.
"They had me on for one episode. They liked me, and I'm still here," Shum said. "It's one of those things. I'm just so excited to be part of it."
He's clearly the most talented dancer in the cast, but he's not a choreographer on the show.
"Zach Woodlee puts some awesome moves together for us," Shum said.
He does, however, get approached by other cast members about dancing and singing. Including Corey Monteith (who plays Finn), who came to "Glee" as an actor without much singing and no dancing experience.
"I remember I gave him some tips and stuff when we first started," Shum said. "He's not a dancer. And to be thrown into that is really difficult. But he's grown so much through the episodes."
By all accounts, the "Glee" cast is a supportive group.
"We vibe off each other," Shum said. "Everyone has different talents as far as what they're really, really good at. It's kind of a melting pot that allows this show to be so special."
And it's a melting pot in casting as well, with a variety of ethnicities represented. Shum himself was amused when Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) referred to Mike Chang as "other Asian" in one episode.
"I know there were people out there who didn't know what my character's name was and just called him that," Shum said with a laugh.
There was even some speculation that the reason he didn't get any speaking lines until Episode 13 was that he had an accent. The son of Chinese parents, Shum was born in Costa Rica and moved to California when was almost 5.
"That is a funny thought!" he said.
He certainly wouldn't mind having a bigger role, "But we never know what's going to happen until we get the script.
"When it started, I think everyone was excited and afraid. We were excited for the opportunities, but we never thought it would be so big — Golden Globes and all that. And being part of this is great.
"I'm just happy to be here."
Returns Tuesday
"Glee" returns Tuesday with an episode scheduled to air from 8:28-9:30 p.m. on Fox/Ch. 13. (It will follow an extended episode of "American Idol.")
"Glee" moves to its new regular time slot on Tuesday, April 20, at 8 p.m.
e-mail: pierce@desnews.com