'I am so happy': 106-year-old woman dances with joy as she meets Obama

Virginia McLaurin dances with Barack and Michelle Obama in the White House.

Virginia McLaurin may be 106 years old, but that didn’t stop her from breaking into a jig of excitement as she finally met with U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Sunday.

McLaurin was so excited to finally have the chance to travel to the White House that she threw her arms into the air and began to dance as she shook the president’s hand.

“I tell you, I am so happy,” the diminutive but bubbly centenarian told the Obamas as they posed for photos.

“A black president. A black wife. And I’m here to celebrate black history. That’s what I’m here for.”

McLaurin’s visit was co-ordinated as part of Black History Month celebrations after months and months of campaigning.

McLaurin had written a petition to the president on the WhiteHouse.gov website back in 2014. She said she had never met a president before and didn’t think she would ever live to see a “coloured president.”

“I am so happy and I would love to meet you and your family if I could,” she wrote, adding: “I know you are a busy man.”

She suggested that to spare him the trouble of coming to her home, “I could come to your house to make things easier.”

That petition led to a community Facebook page that appears to have been set up by neighbours and friends, and a YouTube channel in which McLaurin repeats her request to meet with Obama.

That meeting finally happened on Sunday and judging by the video released by the White House, it seems the Obamas were just as impressed with McLaurin as she was with them.

“Oh my goodness, I want to be like you when I grow up,” Michelle Obama told McLaurin as they met.

“You can!” the senior responded with a laugh, before taking both their hands to dance.