Teen's solo dance to honor late dad at quinceañera leaves family in tears

Some milestones in life are meant to be shared with loved ones. For Julianna Trejo (@julianna_tr3j0), her quinceañera—a celebration of her 15th birthday—was supposed to include a special father-daughter dance. However, when her event took place at La Bella Event Center in Oklahoma in September 2024, her father wasn’t there to see her in a stunning off-shoulder gown adorned with gold motifs and shimmering embellishments.

J R Torres Photography (@jrtorresphotography) captured the emotional moment on TikTok, showing Julianna performing a solo dance with the grief of her father's absence etched on her face. Although she turned 15 in September 2023, her quinceañera was held a year later. The venue’s walls were covered with childhood photos of Julianna and her dad. Surrounded by those memories, she clutched a portrait of her father close to her heart as she gracefully waltzed to Kany García's "Confieso." A sea of photographers documented the poignant moment, though her father wasn’t there to share in it.

When Julianna couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore, her friends joined the dance to embrace and hug her in this vulnerable moment. Back on the table, a child in a cream-colored suit approached Julianna and hugged her. Guests sitting in their chairs took out their handkerchiefs and plopped table napkins to wipe the tears that trickled down from their eyes spontaneously as Julianna danced out her special moment, overwhelmed with emotion that filled her face. There was not a dry eye in the room. In the end, two other girls joined Julianna on the floor and the three danced together in a circle.

“I felt this; my daughter lost her daddy at 3 months old,” @ksaucedo82 commented on the video. @mommaluvsdisney said, “Watching the entire room cry shows how special he was. I like to think our loved ones are always with us.” @joyprincessomogi said she’d do the same on her wedding day, “On my wedding day, am going to hold my mum's frame too. We have always planned that wedding day together now she is gone.”

For Julianna, the loss of her father was too much to bear. He loved her unconditionally, as she expressed in an Instagram post. “It breaks me that you’re no longer here, here to hug me when I’m lonely, or here to laugh with me when I feel low, or here to bring a smile to my face. it pains me not being able to feel your touch at least one more time.” Jolted by grief among other emotions, she added, “I was so loved by you Dad, and I loved you unconditionally. you will be within my soul forever,” and ended by telling her late dad, “I’ll love you forever.”

You can follow JR Torres Photography on TikTok for more touching video shoots like this!