Two very important events happen to fall within the same week this year: the Academy Awards on March 4 and Lupita Nyong’o’s birthday on March 1. You may call it coincidence, but we find it quite fitting that the actress’s special day is so close to arguably the biggest red carpet event of the year. Because if there’s anyone who’s made walking one an art form—practically a ballet, even—it’s Nyong’o.
Most recently, the Black Panther star appeared at the Cannes Film Festival in a rosy creation and spun like a top for the cameras to show off the almost mermaid-esque coloring. But this twirl is not a onetime occurrence. In fact, we can recall seven past instances when Nyong’o practically hypnotized us with her moves and ultimately made any regular red carpet walk seem, well, ordinary. So, in honor of the scene stealer’s birthday, feast your eyes on a brief and very graceful history of Nyong’o’s epic red carpet twirls below.