Shy Father Hesitant To Dance With His Daughter Stuns The Crowd When He Busts A Move

Mar 11, 2021

Bar and bat mitzvahs — Jewish coming of age rituals — are happy occasions that are often followed by big parties that include great food and dancing. One father made sure to make his daughter's bat mitzvah celebration special by introducing a little unexpected fun into the party. 

Stand-up comedian Mike Hanley was up to a few tricks at his daughter Jessica Hanley’s bat mitzvah celebration in 2012, as you'll see in the video below. However, during the event’s father-daughter dance, Mike seemed reserved — even shy — when it came to busting a move in front of his family members and friends. And viewers might wonder: Why am I even watching this boring video of a normal dad slow dancing with his daughter? But moments later, Mike and his daughter seem to stun onlookers as they break into an energetic dance medley that includes songs like Soulja Boy’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and a whole host of other pop tracks from the 2010s.

It’s clear that this father-daughter duo choreographed the 5-minute long routine, as the two mirror each other's dance moves from the “Dougie” to a couple of well-coordinated shakes. Throughout the performance, the audience members cheer, egging the Hanleys on as they cycle through countless tracks with smiles on their faces.

Since the video’s upload in 2012, it has accumulated more than 20 million views and 30,000 likes, making it one of the 2010s biggest viral videos. And there’s good news for fans of this well-known clip — there’s a sequel!

In 2014, two years after Jessica’s bat mitzvah video went viral, Mike uploaded another father-daughter dance performance from his daughter Isabelle’s Hanley’s celebration. Much like the Hanleys first video, Isabelle and Mike begin their dance normally enough. Mike plays the role of a shy and stuffy middle-aged dad, slow dancing with his daughter as the audience looks on with tired looks on their faces. 

But Mike and Isabelle don’t let the snoozefest go on for too long. Just seconds into their slow dance, the two break away from each other and grab microphones from members in the audience. Instead of just dancing to hits like in the original, Mike has upgraded his routine, opting to rap alongside his daughter. Hence the video’s title: father-daughter dance “rap style.” And Mike and his daughter don’t just lip-sync the songs — they rap alongside the beat without any crutches, starting out with Run-DMC’s “It’s Tricky.”

Other highlights include Eminem’s classic “Lose Yourself,” which the two have changed slightly to match the occasion.

“Yo, look,” Mike raps. “If you had one shot, one bat mitzvah, would you seize everything you ever wanted? One moment. Or would you let it slip by?”

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” also makes an appearance alongside the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!).”

With nearly 300,000 views, 1,000 likes and dozens of comments, the Hanleys’ sequel didn’t go as viral as the original; however, users from around the world nonetheless left enthusiastic comments, celebrating the performance and speaking to how sweet the performance is.

“(S)o sweet...every girl should be so lucky to have such a good father,” one user wrote.

“What a great dad he is,” another user added.  “(M)y dad was like that at parties, he danced with me and my 2 sisters on the dance floor. And, it was always Dad to say come on girls.”

“Just like to say how much I enjoyed the Video you uploaded of you and your Daughter dancing together,” a user named Dave commented on another of Hanley's videos. “I bet she must have gave you hell teaching you all those moves lol. I have not seen my own two Daughters for over 13 years now, and I would gladly swap my heart and soul to be able to do the same thing, alas, it will not be, but although it brought a Melon sized lump to my throat, it was fantastic to watch Mike.”

Mike and his daughter’s first video has inspired similar responses from viewers — and large media outlets like TODAY. In fact, around a month after Mike uploaded the clip, he and his daughter appeared live on the show with Lester Holt. After showcasing the video as part of the segment’s best viral videos of the week, the TODAY team asked the dancing duo a couple of questions before Mike and Jessica reenacted the performance for a live audience and viewers across the U.S.

Jessica explained to TODAY’s hosts that the dance took two around three months to learn and that she and her father picked out all the songs themselves.

Surprisingly, she also admits that the dance routine was her mom’s idea!

“I give her all the credit!” Mike adds on the show.

Beyond being an excellent dancer and rapper, Hanley works as a stand-up comedian. According to his website, he describes his style as “high energy, full tilt comedy” that “has left audiences all over erupting in laughter.” “There is no mistaking Mike’s trademark intensity the minute he hits the stage,” he adds on his website.

He’s taken his act to comedy clubs across the U.S., opening for other comedians like Tom Arnold, Jay Mohr and David Alan Grier.

In an interview with 92 PRO FM ahead of a performance at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, Hanley spoke to some of the craziest venues he’s performed at earlier in his career.

“When you’re a comedian and you get offered a show, you say yes. And then you ask where it is. So here’s a couple ones. ‘Want to do a show? It’s called Apex.’ It was in the wash machine and dryer section,” Mike said. “I stood on four milk cartoons, a piece of wood and a painter's light and did jokes while people were shopping for washing machines. From that moment to Foxwoods (Casino) this weekend, there’s a little bit of a leap there.”

But after his success on YouTube, it’s likely that Mike probably won't have to perform at a place like that ever again!

If you’re interested in Mike’s comedy — and any other videos that he might upload — you can check out his YouTube channel, his Instagram and his Facebook.

Have you ever pulled a trick on a crowd? Do you like to dance or perform in front of other people? Do you think it was right for a dad to take center stage at a party that was meant for his daughter? Let us know your thoughts about Mike Hanley and his actions at his daughter's bat mitzvah celebration.