Is there a new dance trend on TikTok? Chances are, the Dancing Dad has already posted a video.
Ricky Pond, also known as the Dancing Dad, is from Washington state. He uploads a daily dance video of trending dances and songs to his TikTok and Instagram accounts for more than 3 million followers to view.
His account started in 2020, when his children, Dallin Pond and Audrey Despain, who are current BYU-Idaho students, wanted their dad to participate in their dance videos. While reluctant at first, Pond’s dancing has turned into something that brings joy to people around the world.
“I didn't even think it was going to make it this far,” Dallin Pond said. “I thought it was going to be one and done after covid. It was crazy when he even hit a hundred followers.”
The Pond family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and with their growing popularity, they use their platforms to uplift others and share the gospel.
“If you go back and you watch all of our videos, there's a picture of Jesus hidden somewhere in the background no matter where we're at,” Dallin Pond said.
“It's just been really cool to do that naturally and calmly and then get feedback,” Despain said. “Some people will be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn't even know that you guys were members of the Church.’”
Despite all the fame, the Ponds say the best part of it all has been spending time together.
“Throughout this whole process, we've grown so close as a family,” Dallin Pond said. “We spent countless hours together, just arguing, bickering, laughing, just like getting these dances done and it just brought us so much closer. I think it just kind of shows other people that the littlest things can bring you together and make you the strongest.”
The last five years have brought a lot of opportunity to the Pond family, while it’s unknown what the next five years will look like, the Dancing Dad continues posting every day.
“I'm surprised that it made it five years,” Despain said. “If it makes it five more years and my dad doesn't break his knee or pull his Achilles tendon, I would be really shocked. But I just see a lot more opportunities for our family.”
“All these different opportunities that have popped up within the last year or two are insane, I couldn't have imagined it,” Dallin Pond said. “I have no idea what the future is going to bring.”
You can find the Pond family’s videos under the handle @rickypond on Instagram and TikTok.