Little girl's viral 'Encanto' performance is a reminder that neighbors are the best
On any given night in Orlando, Florida, Lori and Billy Welch are just a hop, skip and a walk across the street away from a musical spectacular.
The Welches’ close access to this production is all thanks to their 9-year-old neighbor, Alaythia "Laythi" Widbin.
One evening in September, Laythi re-created Disney’s “Encanto” in her family living room and invited the neighbors and Lori Welch’s parents — 84-year-old Nancy Brown and 86-year-old Richard Brown — who live just a few houses over.
Laythi's mother, Andi Widbin, filmed the show and shared it on Instagram. It didn't take long for it to go viral.
“Our precious girl invited some neighbors over for a ‘little’ show tonight,” Widbin captioned the post, which featured a video of Laythi’s performance.
In the clip, Laythi pounces, cartwheels, serenades and flips her hair through every single song in Disney’s 2021 Oscar-nominated animated musical, "Encanto." She had costume changes, brought props and even repurposed a jump rope to mimic a character’s magical swing.
All the while, the Welches and the Browns can be seen taking it all in with encouraging smiles and enthusiasm.
“They showed up at 8:30 the other night, and I had no clue what they should expect!” Widbin added. “One hour later, they knew! So thankful to have the best neighbors to support and cheer on our sweet theater girl.”
It didn't take long for Widbin's post of the performance to awake the inner theater child of Instagram users who thought they'd long put those memories to rest. Comments poured in with confessions and recollections of the times users had corralled parents, neighbors, family friends and even parents’ bosses to view carpeted floor recitals.
“This is tough to watch because it’s like watching my former self,” a user commented with the addition of tearful emojis.
“Omg the way this was literally me,” another replied.
“Ahhh,” one wrote. “Reminds me of the time me and my younger friends/step siblings made an entire live-action movie on iMovie about a lost crown and assassinator, edited it and then forced our parents to watch it on the big screen TV in the living room.”
While second-hand embarrassment may have drawn most users to the post, many more stayed for the supportive reactions and encouragement of the neighbors.
“Your neighbors are so nice to sit through it!!!” one user remarked. “My poor parent’s adult friends would get that glazed look that I look back on and just apologize profusely into the air for (it).”
“World’s best neighbors!!!” another wrote.
“The lady on the right with the flower skirt looked so proud and happy to be there,” came another commenter.
That “lady” is Lori Welch — or, as Laythi affectionately calls her, “Lolli.”
Speaking to TODAY.com, Lori Welch confirms that she and her husband, Billy, had pride in their eyes the night they watched Laythi's latest performance.
“It was her idea. Laythi’s idea,” Welch explains, smiling. “It wasn’t her mom or dad’s idea. It was her idea to do this. And, you know, it’s just sweet seeing that her abilities, her talents and all using them, but it just comes from the heart.”
“I knew it was going to be a performance, you know, a great performance,” adds Billy Welsh — called “Pop” by Laythi and her 5-year-old brother, Jack — with a grin.
“She walked across the street, and then she just asked if they would be interested in coming to a little show,” Widbin explains to TODAY.com before noting that Laythi also has loving grandparents who just live further away.
“(Laythi and Jack) really miss (their grandparents) when they’re gone,” Widbin explains. “And so it’s because they miss them so much, it’s nice to have surrogate grandparents ... It’s special for sure.”
Widbin adds that as parents, the Welches and Browns’ close presence has been particularly reassuring. She knows from experience that these neighbors will drop everything for her children in the case of an emergency.
“I think the value in the relationship that we have is the comfort of knowing we have somebody so close,” Lori Welch says. “They lean on us, we lean on them. It goes both ways.”
“You rely on each other for simple things, a cup of sugar or just someone to hang out with and watch a football game or invite you over to a birthday party or whatever it might be. It’s just those simple things,” Billy Welch adds. “If you don’t know your neighbors, what’s the point of it? Who cares where you live?”
And if you’re really lucky, they can even be part of the memories you’ll look back on with clenched teeth.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
