Tiny Raleigh dancer turned internet star enjoying fame

Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Tiny Raleigh dancer turned internet star enjoying fame
Raleigh 6-year-old Johanna Colon earned some "r-e-s-p-e-c-t" at her dance recital this weekend and now she's an internet sensation.

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Raleigh 6-year-old Johanna Colon earned some "r-e-s-p-e-c-t" at her dance recital this weekend and now she's an internet sensation.

She brought down the house with a tap dance routine to Aretha Franklin's "Respect".

She's the same spunky little girl at her dance studio in Knightdale.

"She has that energy all the time, but to see her on that stage... I see her like that every week, but up there you can tell she was definitely in her element," said Johanna's dance teacher Heather Fitts.

In fact, Johanna and the others helped dance instructor Fitts come up with moves.

"I would ask them, 'Show Ms. Heather your favorite diva pose,'" Fitts said.

On stage, the tiny dancer owned the classic Franklin hit.

Click here to see the entire video.

"It made me feel sassy," said Johanna.

Sassy is also how Johanna's mom describes her.

"She has a very bubbly personality. She's very outgoing, but she's also very sweet," said Elissa Colon.

Elissa wasn't that surprised when the girls got the only standing ovation of the night, and she thinks she knows why it's now an online sensation.

"It's happy. It's sassy," she said. "It's just fun to watch."

We asked Johanna how she feels when she sees her dance.

"It felt happy and really happy for my friends too," said Johanna. "We were spicy."

"She is very proud of the other girls. She has never felt like she needed to be the center of attention," said Elissa.

However, when you're six and you're spicy, feisty, and sassy, you can't help but be.

Johanna told us she wants to be famous when she grows up, and she wants to start a restaurant and sing.

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