Teacher schools student in viral cafeteria dance battle

By Haley Yamada & Will Linendoll

One teacher totally schooled a student during a dance battle and the internet loves it.

Yolanda Turner, 51, took the cafeteria dance floor to face off against her former student, 8th grader O'Rian, on Dec. 22 during a break between exams. The video has since garnered millions of views with celebrities like Ciara and Khloe Kardashian reposting the sweet moment on social media.

"The students were playing games. They were, you know, eating and enjoying their break time," Turner told "Good Morning America." "They decided to tap me in, to call me out."

Turner said the moment was unplanned, but she's happy she was able to spread so much joy.

"It caught me like completely by surprise -- I was in shock," O'Rian, 13, told "GMA." He added that just like his jaw dropping reaction as seen in the video, "I had to regroup myself, like I didn't know that that was going to happen."

The students were awestruck by Turner's dance moves, but she said they're nothing new saying that music and dancing has always been a part of her life, adding that she's taught at performing arts schools and DJs as a hobby.

"Since I can remember, I have danced. It has always been a part of me and my life," said Turner. "It's good for the soul, it's good for the body."

"We do a lot of dance offs at our school," O'Rian said, "everyone's pretty much active in the music and dancing scene." But he explained, "I've never danced against Ms. Turner before -- she caught me off guard."

O'Rian was a student in Turner's class at the end of last year. The two bonded over their shared love of music and she said they've since been able to keep up a close relationship.

"So he was a student of mine in the past. But we're always interacting on some level. He's either coming to my room or, you know, wanting to help," said Turner. "We're musically inclined. We sing, we dance. If you see him, you're gonna see him dancing."

Turner said the moment captures a special school year that marked the real return of in-person gatherings for students and teachers, which were prevented by COVID over the past few years.

"I've always had a great time with our students… They're so resilient," she said. "They deserve to have a great time, and I'm just happy to be a part of that."

"I just want them to always remember that nothing is that bad where you can't dance," she added.

Editor's note: This was originally published on Dec. 30, 2022.