As of March 7, TikTok had 3.6 million likes, finally catching the attention of Rihanna and Jay-Z. In a short video shared on February 22, a group of women from Arcadia Senior Living Center in Bowling Green, Ky., recreated parts of Rihanna's February 12 Super Bowl halftime show. Videos on TikTok show the women - dressed in white like Rihanna's backup dancers, and one resident wearing red like Rihanna's Super Bowl outfit - during the performance The well-known "Rude Boy" segment of the show, and captured the collective heart of the internet in the process.
Their TikTok caption read: "Our Halftime Show > Rihanna's Halftime Show." Rihanna and Jay-Z each reacted to the video, sending a message to the Arcadia Senior Living Center ( Arcadia Senior Living) sent flowers as a token of appreciation. Rih sent white roses with a note that read, "You ladies danced so well." Jay-Z sent red roses to the dancing grandmas with a note, It read: "We love TikTok by RocNation." Jay-Z has helped the NFL identify halftime show performers in recent years and founded the entertainment company Roc Nation in 2008.
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According to Buzzfeed News, residents of Arcadia Senior Living plan to save the flowers to make jewelry or press them into books. Paige Oakes, director of community relations for Arcadia Senior Living, said they were happy to know Rihanna saw their TikTok. "All this time, we were waiting for a response from Rihanna and didn't really think it was going to happen because we knew she was busy and we didn't really know if she saw it," she told Buzzfeed News.
Maitlin Nuckols, director of nursing home life engagement, revealed they filmed the video in one take. "Some of these people, we have to tell them what it is," Nuckols told Insider. "But overall it's been a good response. They like to do anything that's fun and engaging."
Nuckols added that women love seeing engagement ceremonies online. "Whenever it first started blowing up, they were asking us like every day, 'How many views do we have? How many views do we have?'" In short: A lot!
Tens of thousands of people commented on TikTok, praising the cute dance and zest for life. "This is the cutest thing ever! I wish I could be this energetic with my girls at this age," one user wrote. "These women and Rihanna can heal the world!" A third even suggested they should headline next year's halftime show. “You ladies need to perform at next year’s Super Bowl!!!”
