When Robert Green found out that he had landed his dream job as a backup dancer for Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour, the first thing the 22-year-old did was call his Mom to share the news.
The call, which Green initially intended only for his video diary but later uploaded to YouTube, has now gone viral, thanks to the priceless reaction of his very proud mother.
In the video Green, who lives in Los Angeles, tells his mother Sylvia Watlington-Green, of Raleigh, North Carolina, that he has big news.
“What? Come on! Tell me,” Watlington-Green can be heard saying.
When Green tells her that he’ll be dancing backup for Taylor Swift on her world tour, the call erupts with his mom’s screams of joy.
“I’m so proud of you…this is just the beginning…I’m so happy for you,” Green’s mom says between tears and shouting.
Green says his relationship with his mom is the most important relationship in his life, calling her his supporter and best friend.
“My mother is the most enthusiastic person I have ever met. Her sincerity and genuine thrill for life is admirable,” said Green.
Green, who will now travel to Japan, Ireland, Denmark, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and his hometown of Raleigh with Swift’s tour, says he was shocked to get the call saying he’d made the cut since more than 400 male dancers auditioned. And, as his mom references in his video, the moment was made even sweeter due to it coming after one of Green’s lowest points in his career.
“Two years ago, my mom and I packed up in my 1996 Honda and she drove me from east coast to west coast with just enough money to make it. Prior to this amazing moment…I wasn’t working as a dancer as much as I had hoped. (After a series of setbacks) I was in LA with no job, no money, no car – just the support of my mother and my faith,” Green told TODAY Parents.
Green says that he was unsure about posting such an intimate moment online, but the overflow of messages from fans who have viewed his video have been an unexpected benefit of posting to YouTube.
“(I’ve received) inspiring messages about how the video gave people hope and had them in tears. I’ve been thanked for sharing that beautiful moment – some even said that they were ready to give up, but my video gave them the strength and optimism to keep going,” said Green.
Taylor Swift herself saw Green’s video, and tweeted a link to it, saying, “I feel so lucky to get to perform alongside people who love it this much.”