Groom Kirk Henning had something really special planned to surprise his new bride Valerie, and enlisted his friends to help make a groom’s dance one to remember. The groom led a group of nine men in a synchronized dance to several pop hits and absolutely brought the house down, with the clearly thrilled Valerie leading the cheer squad right in front of the stage.
The seven-minute dance started with Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk”, and the nine dancers all performed an athletic contemporary dance routine in full formal suits. The dance was at once impressive and also cheeky, with several silly moves getting a big laugh from the crowd. Kirk then channeled his best Britney Spears and sang “(You Drive Me) Crazy” directly to Valerie, who was thoroughly enjoying it. The groom’s dance went viral online, accumulating 29 million views on YouTube.
Valerie is an American ballerina who performs with the Richmond Ballet in Virginia. Both she and Kirk have performed numerous times at the Richmond CenterStage performing arts centre. The wedding took place at the same venue, so Kirk just had to tear it up one more time with his boys. At several points, Valerie was so into it that she looked like she wanted to get up and groove along.
After the Britney Spears number, the groomsmen danced to Classified’s “Higher”, adding a light-hearted vibe to the hip-hop song. Kirk is clearly a man of culture; later in the routine, he danced to Kenny Loggins’ classic banger “Danger Zone”, which gained fame through its featuring in the Top Gun soundtrack. You can see Kirk and Valerie in their element, performing together below as part of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet in a special feature by The Kennedy Center.
Kirk and the groomsmen showcased their versatility later in the performance by square dancing to “The World” by Brad Paisley and concluded the proceedings with “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. At this point, Valerie joined the floor and danced with Kirk, and the rest of the attendees began the party by hitting the dance floor as well.
Netizens not only praised the couple but also acknowledged the effort put in by the groomsmen. They added comments such as, “Taking the time to learn all those different dance routines shows not only the love the groom has for her but also the high regard the other groomsmen have for them both,” and “The bride’s reaction is everything. This was truly a display of talent. A seriously high-quality performance.”
Kirk’s epic dance mashup with his groomsmen has taken on a life of its own on YouTube. With 29 million views, it is one of the most popular wedding dance videos on the entire platform. Viewers were not shy about showing their appreciation for the dance, as the video has attracted nearly 7000 comments since it was first uploaded.
For more incredible performances and entertainment from Kirk Henning, make sure to follow him on his social media channels. Visit and like his Facebook page and follow him on Instagram for the latest updates and upcoming events.