Photographer Brette-Ashley was on a trip to Sea World in Florida with her family in February of 2018 when she captured the priceless moment of her toddler daughter Emerson dancing to Shake It Off by Taylor Swift with a bus driver while on the bus.
Brette-Ashley is a professional photographer in Rochester, NY. She and her family took a trip thousands of families have taken: a visit to Sea World in Florida. Her daughter Emerson, an adorable curly-haired blonde toddler at the time, was having a great trip.
Sunshine instead of snow, exciting dancing dolphins, and non-stop action. Even a standard bus ride was fun.
A lot of kids might have been tired by the time they boarded the bus. Maybe they would have been a little hot and grumpy. But not Emerson. In her black and white sundress and sporty sandals, she was ready for anything.
A lot of kids might have been shy, too, in a bus filled with strangers. But as Emerson was getting ready to depart, her favorite song came on the radio, Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. If Emerson had been feeling tired or shy, she definitely knew how to shake it off! As she left the bus she exclaimed to the bus driver, “This is my favorite song!”
Apparently it was the bus driver’s favorite, too. He cranked up the tune and the two started jamming to the music. The driver put on an impressive in-seat performance as he grooved to the beat. Emerson jumped and twirled and wriggled in time to the lyrics.
The brief, sweet bond between toddler and driver has started warming hearts around the world. It also means the hunt for the driver is on.
Brette-Ashley didn’t have a lot of information to share about the incident, other than it occurred two years ago after their Sea World visit. But ‘detectives’ gave her a hint that the kind-hearted bus driver was named Fred and possible ways to contact him.
She has reached out to see if Fred is really the dancing driver, promising to let followers know soon. “I’m sure he has a crazy schedule to keep but he stopped everything and blasted the music as loud as he could and well… they both jammed out to Taylor Swift,” Emerson’s mom said. Proof indeed that taking time out to dance really is good for the soul.