Seniors' dance video gets the ultimate seal of approval with 100 white roses from Rihanna

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 8, 2023. It has since been updated.

Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime performance was iconic, to say the least. It gave a respite to her fans who have been waiting for six years for a live performance and triggered several reactions online. The show made headlines for several reasons like her pregnancy announcement, the exceptional ASL interpreter and the extremely high stage that was suspended in the air. Another reason was the adorable video made by a group of lively seniors residing in a Kentucky assisted-living facility. As we reported earlier, they gained traction for recreating a part of Rihanna's performance. The video has been viewed by more than 31 million times now, and it has even reached Rihanna herself, as reported by God Daily Dot.

The singer was so impressed by these seniors that she sent 100 white roses to the Arcadia Senior Living facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The women expressed their desire for Rihanna to acknowledge their video but didn't expect a response. So, they were completely taken aback when they received roses and a note praising their performance. In the 12-second video, a group of seniors dressed in white lines up, as the song "Rude Boys" begins to play. They then spread out to reveal their star, who is dressed in all red like Rihanna during her Super Bowl performance. The star spins around, lip-syncing into her microphone while dancing energetically.

It's safe to say that this video is universally appealing and enjoyable for everyone. Paige Oakes, Arcadia's Director of Community Relations, described the reaction of the center after receiving the roses. She told BuzzFeed, "We were just in shock. This whole time, we’ve just been waiting for a response from Rihanna — not really thinking that it would ever happen because we know she’s busy and we didn’t really know if she saw it or not." She added, "It made our day knowing that it reached her and she got to watch it and enjoy seeing our residents dancing to her music and having fun."

Despite being aware that TikTok is primarily geared towards younger generations, the center opted to create a TikTok account as a means of engaging with its residents and also to have some fun advertising. According to Paige Oakes, Arcadia's Director of Community Relations, and Maitlin Nuckols, Director of Life Engagement, some of the center's residents were unfamiliar with TikTok and Rihanna but were enthusiastic about taking part. 

In addition to their Rihanna video, the center has also created other videos, showcasing their residents performing their favorite end zone dances and making a music video for Miley Cyrus. Following the huge success of their Rihanna video, they have released another video featuring some of the same women dancing and lip-syncing to the opening of Danny Ice's "Look At Me Now."

The TikTok account is proving to be a great platform for these seniors to have fun and express themselves in different ways. They are even attracting the attention of superstars, proving just how talented and committed they are to whatever they do.