It’s not every day you turn 97, and Beatrice Rothenberg knows there’s only one way to celebrate: "It go right foot up, left foot slide, right foot up, left foot slide…"
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When loved ones got together Tuesday to celebrate grandma’s big day with cake and signs, Rothenberg's grandson Brad Parker couldn’t resist teaching "nana" the "Toosie Slide" off Drake’s latest mixtape, “Dark Lane Demo Tapes.” The artist’s music video featuring the dance has over 150 million views on YouTube alone.
The Long Island grandmother of two enjoys cooking, playing Scrabble and dancing with Parker -- a quality she’s known for among Cedarhurst, New York, locales.
“People tell me, ‘Your nana is so cute, she's hilarious, I love her raps and dances you post,” Paker, 29, said. “She's become a household name around here.”
It seems everyone and their mom, and apparently their mom’s mom, are checking out dancing videos posted on the trendy social media app TikTok to relieve some boredom while social distancing.
“I’m a big Drake fan but I wanted to show her some millennial and generation Z culture as well,” Parker said.
You’ve seen the move plastered across social media -- Drake asks listeners to take their left foot up before sliding to the right and repeating the move on the other side. But grandma breaking out her walker and getting down to the tune has a special kind of lovable, heartwarming drip worthy of “black leather gloves, no sequins.”
@therealbradparkerPlease let Drake see this 🙏😂 ##tootsieslide ##fyp ##KeepingItCute ##HiddenTalents ##nana ##foryou ##foryourpage ##yourpage ##oldlady ##funnyoldlady ##oldpeople
♬ original sound - therealbradparker
“The way she kept up with the rhythm and the beat was perfect; it only took us two takes,” Parker said with a laugh. “Nana doesn't know much about rappers or social media really but loves to play along when I put a song on. She hates to curse so Drake is great because a lot of his songs don’t use profanity.”
Parker revealed he’s filmed dancing videos with his grandma for years and she recently developed a fan base online.
@therealbradparkerWhen your 96-year-old grandma tries to play defense 😂😂😂 ##fyp ##boredathome ##boredinthehouse ##hoopsathome ##foryourpage ##yourpage ##oldpeople
♬ original sound - therealbradparker
“I can’t believe so many young people know who I am, just when I thought I’ve seen it all,” Rothenberg joked. “When I was little I always dreamed of being a movie star. Look how long it took … only 97 years!”
Rosenberg has always lived life to the fullest. She went back to college in her 50s and earned an accounting degree with honors. A doting world traveler, she’s visited multiple countries in retirement and speaks fluent Polish. The soon-to-be centenarian still lives on her own and drives.
“She’s sharp as a dart and gets the most out of life,” Parker said. “We're super close and she’s always been there for me.”