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New York farmer shows off slick moves dancing in his barn

SHARON SPRINGS, N.Y. — It’s an old phrase from nursery rhymes and rhythm and blues songs: "Put your hands on your hips, and let your backbone slip."

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And a New York farmer put a more modern spin on that phrase thanks to a video he uploaded to his Facebook page on Dec. 30. In that video, Jay Lavery of Sharon Springs, shows some smooth moves while dancing to Sia’s hit "Cheap Thrills" as he works in a barn.

His original audience was the goats in the barn at his Permaculture Inn, located 180 miles north of New York City. Since then, more than 5.3 million people have viewed the clip and it has been liked 64,000 times and has been shared nearly 63,000 times.
Lavery told The Huffington Post that he often does “crazy things,” that he shares with friends on social media. But this latest video caught fire. The reason the 50-year-old dances, along with doing yoga and meditation, is that they are "my only alternatives to pain medication."
As Lavery explains in his Facebook post, 15 years ago he suffered a "traumatic" back injury that resulted in several surgeries, including spinal fusion and a discectomy. Dancing eases the pain. He said he hoped that his video would “inspire anyone to move in spite of pain and I hope this puts a smile on your face for the New Year."

Lavery told The Huffington Post that the video has brought together a diverse group of fans: "People who love goats, people who have back issues, people who are getting older and … people who just love hay," he said.

He added that he has received many comments asking where he got the hay that is pictured in his barn.
"It’s just regular hay from my own hay field," he told The Huffington Post.
 

It's that time of the year for the Lets Move Challenge. Dancing is how I stay warm in the barn and I never know when I'm going to break out into a dance. But what most people don't know is that 15 years ago I had a traumatic back injury that caused me to have several back surgeries including a discectomy and a spinal fusion and never ending back pain. Dancing along with yoga and meditation are my only alternatives to pain medication. So I hope this can inspire anyone to move in spite of pain and I hope this puts a smile on your face for the New Year.

Posted by Jay Lavery on Friday, December 30, 2016