SINGAPORE — A heartwarming video of a father dancing with his daughter at a recent competition has gone viral on TikTok, with viewers praising the father for creating a special moment with his child. The video, posted by 43-year-old Jay Sng on September 7, features him and his seven-year-old daughter, Jaylee, performing a dance routine at the 25th Singapore Regional Competition, which took place on September 5.

The competition, organized by The Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing Singapore, was held at Anglo-Chinese Junior College’s Faith Centre for Performing Arts. As of September 16, the video has accumulated more than 465,000 views and over 1,500 comments, with many expressing how moved they were by the performance.

In the video, Mr. Sng and Jaylee dance to A Whole New World from Disney’s Aladdin. The father-daughter duo captivated the audience with spins, flips, and cartwheels, with Mr. Sng swinging Jaylee and lifting her into poses as the crowd cheered. The routine also included lighthearted moments that had the audience laughing.

Interestingly, Mr. Sng, a primary school physical education teacher, hadn’t planned to compete. He filled in as Jaylee’s partner during a rehearsal at her dance school, Sissonne Dance Art, when her original partner was unwell. After witnessing their chemistry, his wife and the dance school principal encouraged the duo to join the competition together.

In an interview with TODAY, Mr. Sng shared that they chose A Whole New World because it is his wife’s favorite song. He explained that, for him, the dance symbolized taking his daughter on a magical journey through life. Having lost his own father at the age of 21, Mr. Sng was deeply aware of the void left by a father’s absence and wanted to create a lasting memory with his daughter.

In the TikTok video’s comments section, Mr. Sng shared a heartfelt message he had told Jaylee: “If I leave this world suddenly, remember that daddy will always be dancing with you in your heart.” Jaylee was so touched that she teared up.

The pair trained for seven weeks leading up to the competition. Despite having no experience as a stage dancer, Mr. Sng endured weekly muscle strains and had to use ointments to recover in time for the next rehearsal. Their dedication paid off when they received a “special mention” medal, and they were also the oldest and youngest competitors in their category.

As they left the stage, they were greeted with admiration from fellow competitors and onlookers who gathered behind the curtains. Mr. Sng shared that many were moved by seeing a father and daughter share such a special connection. Jaylee, when asked how happy she was on a scale of 1 to 10, joyfully responded, “1,000.” She also reassured her friends, who had asked if she was afraid of falling during the performance, that her father “would never let her fall.”

The video’s emotional impact extended far beyond the competition. Comments poured in from people reflecting on their own relationships with their fathers. One viewer wrote, “Jay, you’ve healed every girl’s heart on TikTok who didn’t have a bond like this.” Another commenter shared that despite dancing for 17 years, her father had never attended any of her performances. Many admitted that the video brought them to tears, with one person commenting, “Made me cry this morning. She’s so graceful, and her dad did such an amazing job learning the choreography!”

Mr. Sng said he was taken aback by the overwhelming support and messages. “It started as a simple post to share our love for dance, but it became a flood of encouragement for parental love.”

As for future performances, Mr. Sng revealed that they’ve been invited to perform in their local community. He also offered some advice to fellow parents: “Treasure the moments you spend with your children, because every second together is a whole new world.”