Teacher challenges 8-year-old to viral 'Veggie Dance' dance-off

GMA TEAM
·2 min read

A Philadelphia teacher and 8-year-old student are capturing the internet's heart after their dance-off to the hit "Veggie Dance" song from "Gracie's Corner" has taken off.

A TikTok video of the dance-off has since gone viral with over 19 million views since it was first shared in April.

PHOTO: Regina Laurie, a second-grade teacher at Deep Roots Charter School in Philadelphia, challenged 8-year-old student Ahmad to a dance-off to “Veggie Dance” from “Gracie’s Corner.” (JiggyTheGod/TikTok)
PHOTO: Regina Laurie, a second-grade teacher at Deep Roots Charter School in Philadelphia, challenged 8-year-old student Ahmad to a dance-off to “Veggie Dance” from “Gracie’s Corner.” (JiggyTheGod/TikTok)

In the clip, 8-year-old Ahmad starts dancing first and shows off his fancy footwork to crowd cheers. Then, Regina Laurie, a second-grade teacher at Deep Roots Charter School in Philadelphia, goes next and dances in a ring around Ahmad.

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Philadelphia ABC station WPVI met up with the teacher and student at Deep Roots Charter School this May and Laurie said it was her idea for the light-hearted dance-off.

PHOTO: Regina Laurie, a second-grade teacher at Deep Roots Charter School in Philadelphia, challenged 8-year-old student Ahmad to a dance-off to “Veggie Dance” from “Gracie’s Corner.” (JiggyTheGod/TikTok)
PHOTO: Regina Laurie, a second-grade teacher at Deep Roots Charter School in Philadelphia, challenged 8-year-old student Ahmad to a dance-off to “Veggie Dance” from “Gracie’s Corner.” (JiggyTheGod/TikTok)

"It all started to teach Ahmad a lesson," Laurie told WPVI. "He kept telling me, 'Oh, Mrs. Laurie, you're old. Look at your [gray] hair.' So I said to myself, 'I'm going to challenge this boy to a dance-off. I'm going to dance rings around this boy and he doesn't even know it yet!'"

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8-year-old Ahmad said he was surprised when his teacher started dancing.

"I never knew she could dance like that," said 8-year-old Ahmad Dennis. "People were saying, 'They ate that,' and 'she ate you up!"

One TIkTok commenter added, "left not a piece of crumb She Ate 🤗💃🏻 check Veggie Dance off list her💯💜."

Laurie, who told WPVI she holds a bachelor's degree in dance from Temple University, said she is happy the TikTok video has reached so many people.

"I think that I sort of led the way in terms of having other teachers not be afraid to kick off their shoes and literally just show that you're also a person behind that role that we have," Laurie said.

Teacher challenges 8-year-old to viral 'Veggie Dance' dance-off originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com