Community Corner
Largo Boy Who Danced With Bucs Cheerleaders to Appear on 'Today' Show
Christian Bottger, whose "Gangnam Style" routine at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game has made national news, is slated to perform Tuesday morning on NBC's "Today" show.
A 10-year-old Largo boy who's been showing off his dancing skills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers games is set to appear on the "Today" show Tuesday morning.
Christian Bottger, who became a nearly overnight sensation thanks to a clip of him dancing with the Bucs cheerleaders to "Gangnam Style," is flying to New York to appear on the morning show, the team reported on its website Monday.
Bottger is a student at Fuguitt Elementary School in Largo; his father, Ed, is the Bucs' video production manager.
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Christian Bottger has been performing routines to "Thriller" and "Teach Me How to Dougie" at Bucs home games this year with the team's cheerleaders and mascot Captain Fear, to the delight of Ramyond James Stadium crowds. It was a TV clip of his "Gangnam Style" performance Sunday that caught the attention of "Today" show hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie, who discussed it on air Monday, Buccaneers.com reports.
Bottger, dubbed "Little Fear," was then invited to fly to New York City to appear on "Today" on Tuesday. His parents posted a video of them breaking the surprise news to him Monday on YouTube. It's his first time flying.
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"I thought my parents were joking," Bottger told the team's website. "They were asking me if I used my phone in class and I was nervous that I was in trouble. Then they told me what it was really about and I was like, 'Oh ... my ... God.' And then we had to start packing."
Bottger and the cheerleaders are scheduled to perform several dance-routine teasers on the plaza outside of the "Today" studio Tuesday morning. The show begins airing at 7 a.m. on NBC. He and some Bucs representatives will be interviewed at approximately 8:30 a.m., according to the team.
Dance is nothing new for for Bottger, who has been competing since age 5 along with his two older sisters from the Starstuck Dance Studio in Largo, Buccaneers.com reports.
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