One day my two roommates and I were trolling the Internet, looking for nothing in particular, when we came across a video of a little girl dancing. We weren't quite sure what the video was so, like the curious cats we are, we clicked it. The video was of 6-year-old Audrey Nethery dancing like no one was watching at a Zumba class. Not only is Audrey the cutest human currently alive on the planet, she also dances for a cause. Audrey suffers from a bone marrow disease called Diamond Blackfan Anemia, and has already undergone 20 blood transfusions in her short six years because her body doesn't produce enough red blood cells. However, this does not keep her from getting down with her bad self and sharing the gift of dance with all her devoted fans. These videos of Audrey doing Zumba have garnered thousands, and sometimes millions, of views, and has led to much needed donations to the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation vital in fighting the disease.
This video not only caught my attention, but also the attention of the Zumba corporate office, and little Audrey was invited to lead a Zumba dance class at the International Zumba convention in Orlando, Florida, in August, 2015. In an interview with Today, Audrey's mom, Julie Halse, said, "When she's not doing Zumba, she's singing and dancing, and there was a lot of singing and dancing going on after that call." Audrey accepted the offer and was sent a routine to learn for the big day at the convention. On the day of the performance, she danced her little heart out in front of a packed audience with her Zumba instructors from home at her side.
Audrey also appeared on "The Rachel Ray" show in October, and Rachel surprised her with the opportunity to meet her favorite singer, Taylor Swift. Audrey got to go to her show and then head backstage to meet Taylor, fulfilling a huge dream of hers. Her mom has also posted videos to her Facebook of Audrey singing and dancing along to "You Belong With Me" by Taylor and other pop hits. More recently, Audrey reappeared on Rachel's show and was given another gift: the chance to dance with the Rockettes. They walked her through what a normal rehearsal day would be like, gave her matching shoes and a costume, and got to perform with the legendary dancers in their Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.
To keep up on Audrey's dance videos and learn more about DBA, follow her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DBAphotoboothbyAudrey/tim... or visit: http://www.dbafoundation.org/
