TikTok dance lands New Bern 6-yr.-old a 'kicking' Christmas surprise
A young New Bern resident got an early Christmas present this month after her TikTok video caught the attention of airline officials.
And it all started with a Thanksgiving Day family tradition.
Tara Messier and her family were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television when her youngest daughter, 6-year-old Aria, began dancing along with The Rockettes, the precision dance company that has been a fixture of the parade for decades.
As a first-year student at Wanda Kay’s School of Dance in New Bern, Aria took the chance to show off some of her new skills.
“She loves to dance anyway,” Tara said. “She takes ballet and jazz and tap, so when the Rockettes came on I just happened to start filming her because she was doing the kicks like they do and I posted it on TikTok that day and tagged The Rockettes in it.”
A little over a week later, on Dec. 9, Delta Air Lines reached out with the offer of a lifetime.
“When I posted the video I said something like ‘I think Aria has her sights on being a Rockette one day.’ Then Delta commented on it and said ‘How about we make her dreams come true and fly you to New York and give you Rockette tickets?,’” Tara said.
After making sure she could get time off from her job at the post office, Tara accepted the offer to attend the Dec. 15 performance of The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
She said her daughter was “ecstatic” when she gave her the news,
“We originally didn’t tell her because I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to get off of work. So when I told her she talked about it nonstop,” Tara recalled. “She was very excited.”
In addition to tickets for The Rockettes show, Delta Air Lines sent the family vouchers for the plane tickets and a $750 American Express gift card to cover a hotel, meals and other expenses.
Tara and Aria flew out of Jacksonville and, after a layover in Atlanta, landed at LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 14. They stayed in Midtown Manhattan at Radio City Apartments, a half block from Radio City Music Hall in Rockefeller Center.
A Wisconsin native who moved from Florida to New Bern with her family in 2013, Tara said staying in the Big Apple was exciting but intimidating.
“I had never been to New York so I was scared,” she admitted. “So I booked a hotel super close so we could walk everywhere we wanted to go.”
Tara said the 90 minute Rockettes show was a special treat since it was the first time the dancers used video projections throughout the venue.
“It looked like Santa Claus was everywhere. The Rockettes all dressed up as Santa so it was like all over the whole hall,” she recalled.
Aria said she was especially impressed with the special effects featuring the jolly old elf.
“There were 100 sleighs and so much Santas,” she said. “It was my favorite.”
“I also liked the snow fairies flying around,” Aria added. “It was worth it.”
Tara and Aria flew back home the day after the show, but not before taking in some of New York’s other attractions. They toured the FAO Schwarz toy store and the LEGO Store on Fifth Ave. and saw the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and St. Patrick's Cathedral.
“We had pizza,” Aria recalled excitedly.
Tara described her youngest child as her “people person kid.”
“She’s the one that will talk to everybody, talk your ear off,” she said. “But New York was a lot for her. She was worn out and I was too.”
Tara said she’s certain Aria will cherish the trip for the rest of her life.
“It will be one of those moments that both of us remember,” she said. “It was really a cool experience.”
“I want to live in New York,” Aria chimed in. “I want to be a Rockette.”
Reporter Todd Wetherington can be reached by email at wwetherington@gannett.com. Please consider supporting local journalism by signing up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: TikTok dance lands New Bern 6-yr.-old a 'kicking' Christmas surprise
