“Dancing Nanas” have become quite the internet sensation lately, however, it all started with this very special Nana – Nana Ester Feole from New Hampshire.
Once a week, a woman named Chelsey picks her grandmother up from her house to go out to lunch. Once she gets there, Chelsey will roll down her windows and crank up the tunes to Oldies songs. Her Nana absolutely loves Oldies music and just can’t stand still when she hears them.
Chelsey knows how adorable her Nana’s moves are and had to break out the camera to film her. Nana Ester’s moves are just so cute and preciously groovy as she makes her way down her front steps to join her granddaughter in the car.
The first video that Chelsey ever uploaded of her grandma dancing went viral within just a couple of days – racking up millions of views.
The video was uploaded on Nana Feole’s official YouTube channel back in 2013 that was started by her granddaughter. The viral clip where Nana dances to the 1961 hit “Runaround Sue” was shared with the caption:
“Cheers to my 88-year-old Nana. Do yourselves a favor and watch this until the very last second (don’t miss the ending!). Life is good, dance on.”
In fact, the first video was so incredibly popular, it even caught the eyes of Ellen Degeneres.
Ellen loved Ester’s dance moves so much that she was invited on the show where she got to meet the TV host and even show off her dance moves in front of the live studio audience and the millions of people watching! Check out the clip of her appearance on Ellen in the video below.
Of course, all of this new-found fame just made Ester want to dance even more. So, Chelsey kept the videos recording and was able to capture more adorable lunch pick-up dance parties!
Nana Ester Feole was now an internet sensation and Chelsey started an Official Facebook Fan Club for her grandmother as well. The “About” section reads:
“Welcome to Dancing Nana’s official Facebook fan page! Our family is blown away by the love everyone is sending our way! So glad we can help to inspire or put a smile on your faces. Dance on people….ALL F*CKING DAY!”
Sadly, Nana Ester Feole passed away in August of 2016 – after making five adorable Dancing Nana videos that made the world smile.
Chelsey shared the heartbreaking update to all of her fans with the beautiful and touching caption:
“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.”
One of the best and laugh-filled videos that Nana danced to was when Chelsey cranked up “Dancin’ In The Street.” The joy on her face is palpable.
Watch the full video of Dancing Nana below.
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