Sure, the Seven Dwarfs whistle while they work, but can they death drop while they stock shop, like these ladies in New York City?

On Feb. 23, professional dancer and Trader Joe’s employee A’ja Desormeau posted a TikTok showing a dance break with fellow professional dancer and coworker Zanita Johnson and others as they restocked items at a Trader Joe’s in Harlem, New York.

“Happy Black History Month from the Blackest Trader Joe’s in NYC,” Desormeau captioned the video.

In the short clip, Desormeau and Johnson treat us to a sampling of expert house ballroom moves: They vogue and execute hand movements, dips and death drops; Johnson casually duckwalks before hopping up to her feet with a superhero’s ease (God bless her knees).

For a moment, the pair moves in tandem, and then, at the end of the video, smiling at each other, they rest and get back to work.

‘Haus of Joe’ Gets Its Flowers

The video racked up hundreds of thousands of views, and its comments section passed the vibe check, with positivity as far as the finger could scroll:

  • “Just serving next to my power of 7 drink !”
  • “Welcome to The Haus of Joe!”
  • “Aisle ATE !”
  • “The melt into the dip GOT ITT”
  • “this has to be 125th. they always be playing the best music”

Desormeau says the video was filmed the night before a snowstorm blanketed the city in record snowfall last month, so the store was unusually empty, making the pasta aisle a perfect runway.

“I’ve been dancing professionally for about 10 years, but I’ve been dancing, really, all my life,” Desmoreau tells TODAY.com, adding that while she hasn’t studied house ballroom specifically, it’s a big part of her practice as a dancer.

“I’m really inspired by ballroom. I love ‘Paris is Burning.’ I love ‘Pose.’ I’m a lesbian, so being in the queer community means everything to me, and I’ve always just loved to vogue,” she says.

“I’ve never been a part of a house. I just watch, I appreciate and I learn. And, you know, and I get in the studio and try and figure out movement on my own,” she says.

Johnson also has been dancing from the moment she could walk, according to her mom.

“She always used to be like, ‘You know, anytime I bring you somewhere, you’re dancing. You’re going to be a dancer,’” Johnson tells TODAY.com. “Long story short, when I was in junior year in high school, I joined the dance team and we did a competition. At the competition, I got scouted for to dance for a semi-professional football team called the New York Bandits.”

They say that they connected through dance while working at Trader Joe’s.

“We’re trying to make it a thing there, because I’m not the only dancer in Trader Joe’s, most of us are performers and we do this kind of stuff all the time, you know?” Desmoreau says. “But it’s also hard to get moments like that, because we are on the clock.”

A'ja Desmoreau dancing in a production in New York City.
A’ja Desmoreau dancing in a production in New York City. Courtesy A’ja Desmoreau

Commenters recognized the location as Harlem through the people, the music and the store’s unique hangout vibe. Johnson says that’s thanks to their store having permission to play whatever music they desire.

“Believe it or not, 125th Street? Our customers are very diverse,” Johnson says. “You see a lot of different people in there, and every single last one of them appreciates the music. They tell us.”

Zanita Johnson rehearsing a number in New York City.
Zanita Johnson rehearsing a number in New York City.Courtesy Zanita Johnson

She adds that she most often hears the comment when there are long lines keeping people listening. “They’ll be like, ‘You know, the line wasn’t that bad, and the music helps,’” she says.

Both women say they’re touched so many people enjoy their dancing and have even gotten offers to join ballroom houses in an official capacity.

Desormeau has already posted another video of her dancing in TJ’s, and the pair is thinking of how to share more of their dancing online, all while making sure their death drops are in working order.

“Everybody complimenting my dip. You don’t understand how hard it is on my knees and on my legs to be able to gracefully do it the way that I did,” Desmoreau says. “People noticing that, specifically people who do ballroom, complimenting, that means the world to me. I was getting my 10s. Me and all of the other women, all getting our 10s.”