The Dancing Nana celebrates her 100th birthday

Shirley Goodman embraced her birthday with tap dance at Senior Friendship Centers.

By Dariela Delgado
| 7:00 p.m. March 14, 2023

Sarasota
Neighbors

The secret to longevity is to dance your feet off and eat chocolate.

Shirley Goodman celebrated her 100th birthday on March 14 at the Senior Friendship Centers. The entrance into the main building turned into a dance party where over 60 guests danced to music by the Skip’s Dixie Mix Band.

Goodman became "The Dancing Nana" in 2019 when a video of her dancing the “Push Tush” at a wedding went viral on social media with over 100 million views. This year, she shares her joy of dance with her family, friends and the Sarasota community.

“The dancing, the music and eating chocolate keeps my longevity,” said Goodman. Before the students of Boys & Girls Club cut the cake, Goodman told the band to play her a beat, strutted to the dance floor and performed a tap dance solo for the crowd.

“Milestone birthdays are fun to celebrate,” said Senior Friendship Centers CEO Erin McLeod. “To be celebrating 100 years with a big party like this, it’s inspiring.”