Jay Lavery is a 50-year-old farmer who lives and works in upstate New York
He uploaded a video of himself on his Facebook dancing to Sia’s ‘Cheap Thrills.’
Originally, he had done it as a joke and to entertain his friends and relatives, but the internet took notice.
A post that was only intended to entertain a few has now been watched over twelve million times.
That’s a lot of views!
The video has also been shared 112,000 times and has 131,000 reactions.
The Dancing Farmer
In the video, we see Jay doing his chores and sweeping up hay as the goats in the pens watch, but then the music really starts.
He drops the broom and becomes a dancing sensation. About halfway through the song, he works up a sweat and the jacket comes off. Now we can really see his moves!
Even the goats seem to get into the groove as they watch him dance his heart out.
People have reacted amazingly positively to his original video:
Lisa Craig said:
“It’s great to know I’m not the only one! I ♥️ my barn, especially the metal roof when it rains. I think the animals love the dancing & music too.”
Steve Johnson commented as well:
“Unbelievable dance moves. Try out with ‘Dancing with the Stars’, coming soon? Keep up the great attitude, wish more people had it. Thanks for the inspiration!”
What Makes It Really Amazing
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to this story.
Fifteen years ago, Jay dealt with a traumatic back injury and had to go through several surgeries, including a spinal fusion. Ever since then, he has been enduring chronic back pain.
Despite the pain, he has chosen to live life to the fullest. He enjoys moving, including dancing!
According to his post:
“Dancing is how I stay warm in the barn and I never know when I’m going to break out into a dance. But what most people don’t know is that 15 years ago I had a traumatic back injury that caused me to have several back surgeries including a discectomy and a spinal fusion and never ending back pain. Dancing along with yoga and meditation are my only alternatives to pain medication. So I hope this can inspire anyone to move in spite of pain and I hope this puts a smile on your face for the New Year.”
That truly is inspiring. In fact, it’s so inspiring that even Ellen DeGeneres took notice and invited him onto her show.
Ellen DeGeneres
By the time he showed up on set, his Facebook video already been nine million views.
But, the video wasn’t enough, Ellen wanted to see his moves in person.
The apparently eligible farmer spoke to her about all of the marriage proposals he had been receiving on Facebook as well as the general outpouring of support.
He also shared the pain he had been through with his back surgery and how grateful he was to be able to move and dance.
Finally, he broke out some of his classic dance moves for Ellen and her audience. They loved it.
Tour the Farm
If you can’t get enough of this farmer, you can see where he filmed “on location” in the barn where his original dancing was recorded.
A tour of the farm is now available. If you are in the area, consider checking out the permaculture design in person and meet the goats and sheep that keep the place bahhh-ing.
You can visit the farm’s website at TheDancingFarm.
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