Envy couldn't wait to spend her time volunteering. Photo / Supplied
Envy couldn't wait to spend her time volunteering. Photo / Supplied
The mother of the 7-year-old girl who went viral this week with her heartwarming dance moves has revealed how her daughter is coping with all the attention.
Envy Iona hit the headlines when a video of her performing a viral dance to Doja Cat's hit song Say Soexploded on social media this week.
Envy Iona, 7, joined her parents Celeste Miller and Nuku Iona for a day of volunteering at the Taupō Ironman event on Saturday.
From 6am to 3pm, she stood patiently on the same stretch of road to help athletes know where to go on the cycling leg of the event.
But rather than just standing around, little Envy decided to bust some moves.
The video has since had thousands of views and Envy has been widely praised for her slick moves and positive attitude.
Miller told the Herald that Envy was recognised for her efforts when the Ironman volunteers had their awards dinner on Monday night, with Envy first up to be congratulated and receiving an $80 voucher.
Envy's mother told the Herald that although it was her first time volunteering, she was a "really caring kid" and leapt at the opportunity.
Miller said that her daughter went on TikTok after her older sister jumped on the popular app, adding that it offered a window into the girls' creative potential.
"What I like about it is that you can see your kid's creativity in that short space of time," she said.
Miller said Envy wasn't on TikTok a great deal and joined initially to join in with her sister, adding that she monitored her children's use of social media.
Envy's mum revealed that her daughter had always harboured dreams of being an online star.
Envy couldn't wait to spend her time volunteering. Photo / Supplied
"She's always asked me if she could have a YouTube channel," Miller said, saying that she had always denied the persistent requests.
But Envy found a shortcut to online fame with the dance video and Miller told the Herald that her daughter couldn't be more happy with the results.
"When the video first went viral and brought it to us to show us, she said 'Yes! My life has finally begun!'"
"She's so neat"
Many people, including celebrities, have posted videos of themselves dancing to Say So, but none quite as care-free and co-ordinated as Envy, who performed the dance as Ironman athletes cycled past her.
Despite the long shift, Envy never complained. "She was just happy to dance," her mum said.
Envy learnt her dance moves from TikTok and was just trying to pass the time, not realising she was being filmed by the family who lived across the road.
The Herald's first story on Envy reached more than 600,000 people on Facebook, with hundreds of people leaving comments supporting her.
Facebook users loved the girl's enthusiasm and dance skills.
"Shes so neat, her momma should be proud," one person commented.
