Utah teacher shares custom handshake dances with departing 6th graders in new video

(KUTV) — The 1984 hit "Footloose" is all about dancing, and was in part filmed in Lehi, Utah.

Now, a video made by a 6th-grade teacher at Meadow Elementary School in Lehi is cutting footloose by trending on social media.

In the video, teacher Collin Seastrand brings each one of his 6th-grade students on stage to share a unique handshake and dance, all while still in their Sunday shoes.

Each student had their own handshake that Seastrand memorized and performed with each student.

Seastrand told 2News:

At the beginning of every year I have them come up with handshakes... they teach me [the handshakes] and then I memorize [the handshakes] and we do them every single day as they come in in the morning and when they leave in the afternoon.

Seastrand has been doing the custom handshakes with his students for the past two years:

I wanted to have a personalized thing with each of them. Doing it first thing in the morning helps the kids know and feel [that] I’m excited for them, [for] each individual to be here. They can be having a bad morning and when they get to my door I can tell. Sometimes they’ll do the handshake all glumly, and it gives me an opportunity to notice it and address it and help them make sure they know they are loved and we try to turn their day around.

On the Facebook video, which was posted May 29, Seastrand says:

Sad it’s over tomorrow. This year was a special one.