Dad Helps His Daughter Through Stage Fright At Ballet Recital By Getting On Stage With Her

Sep 21, 2018

Two-year-old Bella Daniels had been practicing for weeks for her upcoming ballet recital. On the night of her big dress rehearsal, this little dancer thought she was ready. However, once she stepped onstage, she was overcome by stage fright and couldn't go on, bursting into tears.

A lot of fathers would have just scooped up their crying daughter to take her home. However, Marc Daniels knew that Bella had worked too hard to quit over a little thing like stage fright. So instead of taking Bella home, he hopped up onstage himself, with Bella's little sister Suri in his arms. Marc took Bella's hand and began guiding her through her dance routine, doing all the moves himself - pirouettes and all!

"Bella was very emotional," Marc told reporters after video footage of the event went viral. He explained that he'd been practicing with Bella, so he actually knew what moves she was supposed to be doing.

His actions totally worked. Bella quickly regained her confidence and was able to finish her performance, which served as the final rehearsal before her big show. Undoubtedly, Marc's actions will be invaluable in helping to shape his daughter's confidence and self-esteem.

"[I told her] that she's an amazing dancer," Marc said.

Of course, what neither Marc nor Bella realized was that another parent in the audience was filming.

When the video was uploaded online, it almost instantly went viral. Internet users from all over the globe applauded Marc, declaring him "father of the year" and a huge inspiration to other dads out there.

While the attention from users online was positive, that hasn't stopped Marc's co-workers for teasing him for his viral ballet stardom.

"Before having the girls I don’t think I’d ever [danced ballet] before," Marc said, "but now everyone [knows] me for my toe-pointing!"

Despite the playful teasing from his office peers, Marc doesn't regret a thing about his actions during Bella's dress rehearsal. In a world where so many kids grow up without a father in their lives, it's a beautiful thing to see a dad who would do anything for his little girl, no matter how embarrassing it might be.

Are you a dad who's made a fool of himself in the name of making his child smile? Has your dad ever done something outrageous to make you happy? Let us know your story in the comments.