Miami Couple gives a new face to social media – NBC 6 South Florida

When you think of social media, you might think of young influencers doing popular dance routines or sharing stories about their lives.

But there’s a group of influencers that we’re seeing more and more often, people who are 40 and up, and they are being called “silver influencers.”

Here in Miami, there is a couple who are exactly that.

Celina Fajardo and Filiberto Padron, on a random Tuesday, danced for their roughly 1.4 million TikTok followers and 578,000 Instagram followers. The couple of 21 years is known as “Ganas Con Canas.”

You may have seen the videos of them dancing sultry together to reggaeton or salsa, and from the Miami Marlins’ LoanDepot Park to the stage of America’s Got Talent.

But they weren’t always so famous, and they weren’t always in such good health.

Padron, 77 years old, was told in 2005 that he would only have 15 days to live after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Fajardo, 75 years old, had a serious fall a few years back that left her wheelchair-bound and was told she would never walk again.

Fast forward to today, they are moving and grooving, celebrating that they can.

“And that’s how we are, like if we were two cars with gas. We go, go, go, and when we run out, we fill up again and we keep running and dancing and enjoying life,” Padron said.

And that’s what they were doing on a random visit to Magic City Casino in 2017.

“The song of Yomil y El Dany started. (The song about) ‘I am the king of movement,'” Fajardo said. “And (Padron) said, hold on, I am the king of movement. And the dance floor was full of people dancing! And when we started dancing, everyone else separated and left the dance floor open. And I told him, ‘Everyone scattered, they left us alone!’ and he said, ‘Forget about that, just keep dancing!’”

Little did they know that someone recorded a video of them that ended up going viral.

The following week, when they returned to the casino, they were stopped by police.

“And the female cop says, ‘We would like to take a picture with you.’ And I said, ‘A photo for what?’” Fajardo recalled. “They said, ‘You didn’t know you were famous?’ And I said, ‘And that fame? Famous for what?'”

“They said, ‘You haven’t seen social media?’ ‘Social media? We aren’t on it,'” Fajardo said, laughing.

But ever since that moment, they have been. The well-known Cuban dancing couple is now famous for knowing how to get down.

“Well, we feel normal, happy and content, that everyone loves us and knows us,” Fajardo said about being coined as “silver influencers.”

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual pay for a TikTok influencer in the U.S. is close to $132,000. The couple said they live off their retirement money and now influence fulltime.

While they couldn’t share the specific amounts they make from their posting due to NDAs, they say it’s enough to cover the basics like their car insurance, gas money and more.

The couple says they will sometimes receive items.

“The boutique that gives us clothes, another gives us jewelry, another gives us food or invites us to eat, but it’s not a salary,” Filiberto said.

They do typically get paid or compensated through collaborations with local businesses. They advertise insurance groups, medical groups, and even events.

However, the couple says they do this, not for money, but to pay it forward.

“We are influencers and we have, thanks to God, a lot of followers, people who like us, and we know dancers, singers, and they are starting out in this country, and we say come over here we are going to dance with you, sing a little song to see if our social media can help bring light to you, so people can see you, look at you,” Padron said.

The couple’s dance moves, while considered “iconic” by some, comes with some scrutiny.

Padron held up his hands in the shape of a phone: “This old guy, this old woman, look how bad! Look at how they press against each other!” he impersonated.

“We feel content when we are pressed against each other, why? Because we are in love!” he said while laughing. “Your husband, your wife, or you don’t have anyone to do it with, that’s your problem!”

These silver influencers don’t listen to the haters, but dance the trolls away.

The duo hopes that their old age and young spirits inspire others to get up, get moving, and start posting.

“If the car has gas, why are you going to park it? Take it out for a spin. Press the gas, waste the gasoline!” Padron said with a laugh.