Music is not only something that we appreciate, it is something that is built into us from the time we are very young. All you have to do is watch a baby when the music starts playing, and they are dancing before they can even walk.
Since dancing is something that we can do from a very young age, it is also something that we can do until a very old age. Admittedly, not all of us can dance to entertain others, but at least one 88-year-old grandmother could.
Nana Ester Feole may have been in her late 80s, but any time some Motown music came on, she was ready to start dancing. Fortunately, her granddaughter, Chelsea, was also there to take some videos so that we all got an opportunity to enjoy it.
It all started one time when Chelsea was picking her Nana up for lunch and a song was playing. Suddenly, Nana was dancing on the front porch to one of her favorites, and when Chelsea uploaded it, more than 1.4 million people watched.
If you haven’t had an opportunity to smile today, you really can’t help but do so when you watch this amazing video. Fortunately, it is also not the end of the series.
Chelsea didn’t stop with the first video. She went on to make parts 2, 3, and 4 of the ‘Dancing Nana’ series. It’s amazing to think that even though she only has five videos on her channel, she has more than 8.7 million views.
Every week, she would go to pick up her grandmother to take her out for lunch. When she arrived, she would wind down the windows and play her grandmother’s favorite music.
It was amazing to watch Nana as she danced her way to the car. You can watch part of the video series and the next video as well.
Now more than 17,000 people are following Dancing Nana on YouTube and over 16,000 follow on Facebook. She has had so much success online that even Ellen DeGeneres got in touch with her to have her on the show. Of course, her granddaughter got tickets as well.
Her dancing has brought so many smiles to so many faces. Unfortunately, she did pass away in August 2016. Her granddaughter wrote about it on Facebook.
“Fans of “Dancing Nana”…. I am so sorry it’s been so long since my last post. My heart is broken this morning as I let you all know that Nana passed away last night. She went peacefully in her sleep, as we all prayed she would. As some here know, in her final years, Nana suffered severe dementia and was living in a nursing home where she could receive extensive care and the attention that she needed. Nana was moved into her nursing home just 3 days before her YouTube video went viral. As much as I wanted to keep you all in the loop about Nana’s endeavors and adventures after “Dancing Nana” went viral, I also wanted to secure her privacy and avoid exploiting her to the public given her illness. Even if Nana didn’t fully understand what was happening to her body, I want you all to know, her viral video brought more joy to our family’s lives than you’ll even know. More importantly, her video brought laugher and hope to millions around the world- and that is something Nana would have been most proud of. The memories I have from the day we went to Ellen DeGeneres will be treasured every day, for the rest of my life. Dementia or Alzheimer’s often rips the souls out our loved ones, but I can assure you first hand, Nana was full of life, ecstasy, and bliss while were at Ellen on that day. Thank you to you all for your love and support over the last few years. Nana was the most special person in my life, and I am honored that you all got to share a little piece of her with me. Remember, if life’s journey seems like an upward battle, Nana taught us all to dance through the pain and laugh through our fears.”