When Taylor Prokes opened her door to find a violinist in a ball gown, she had no idea the moment would become a viral TikTok. The surprise performance was a birthday gift from her friend Lindsey Fritz, who lives 2,000 miles away but still wanted to celebrate their friendship.
“I knew I wanted an experience since most of our friendship has been built on experiences,” Fritz exclusively tells PEOPLE about the idea behind the violinist. Before committing to the musical act, Fritz almost settled for a fire dancer.
“The violinist showed up in this big ball gown,” Prokes recounts to PEOPLE. “And I guess she had to ask Lindsey, like, ‘Should I go casual since it’s going to be a casual event?’ But Lindsey’s like ‘No, wear your fanciest outfit.’ ”
The viral clip, captioned “POV your friend who lives 2,000 miles away sends a surprise violinist for your birthday,” showcases the musician in her fancy outfit playing Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.” “She started playing ‘Happy Birthday’ and then she went straight into Taylor Swift without saying anything to us, and it was just really special,” Prokes says.
The women’s friendship began three years ago at a race named Hell on the Hill. Despite living in different cities, they soon became Internet friends. However, this year, their friendship hit a new stride.
“We started doing some work together on a startup, and we started just doing crazy stuff together as friends,” Prokes explains. Fritz adds, “I feel like Taylor wears so many different hats in my life, like one day she’s my boss and mentor and then the next day we’re like skydiving or running a marathon or dancing in the club together.”
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Even though the pair live far from each other, they’ve mastered the art of showing up for each other. “We’re always on the go and very busy people, but we show up for each other, whether that’s texting, calling, DMing, or literally flying across the country to one of our events,” Fritz explains.
“Every time that we hang out, we’re doing something that is impossible to forget,” Prokes says as she details an adventure between the two in which Fritz flew to Los Angeles on a whim to join Prokes for an event in San Diego.
While the two keep adventure at the center of their relationship, they’ve also inspired others to reconsider how they approach friendships. “A lot of people were saying that they want to do something unique for their friend and the video makes them want to be a better friend,” Prokes shares of the comments on the TikTok.
For Fritz, the motivation is simple: “If I don’t have my friends, I don’t have anything. I could have any accolade, any job, any amount of money, but if I don’t have a good community, friends or family … it is the most important thing in my life.”
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