This browser does not support the Video element.
High school priest dances at pep rally
Father Ricardo Rivera is a theology teacher and recently ordained priest at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He surprised the crowd at a pep rally by joining cheerleaders and the dance team during their performance.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A Florida priest has taken the Internet by storm, thanks to the viral spread of a video in which he busts a move at a school assembly.
Father Ricardo Rivera stole the show during the Cardinal Gibbons High School cheerleaders and dance team’s homecoming practice performance.
In the video, which has more than 285,000 views on Facebook, the cheerleaders and dance team members are seen executing their choreography just before Rivera begins to walk onto the basketball court.
Suddenly, Rivera, dressed in a floor-length black robe, transforms into a dancing machine. The crowd of students and faculty completely lose it – and so did social media.
“The priests at my high school didn’t move like this!” wrote journalist David Begnaud, who retweeted the video, originally shared by comedian Molusco.
“Can you imagine how much better Catholic school would have been!?” one Twitter user commented.
Another Twitter user wrote: “Love it! They are real people like you and me.”
The performance was a surprise to everyone but the dance coach, according to The Miami Herald.
Rivera, from Puerto Rico, practiced the initial moves last week. What the dancers and cheerleaders didn’t know, however, was that he'd learned the entire routine.
In addition to his new viral fame, Rivera now has a new nickname via social media: #DancingPriest.