A 90-year-old dancer did a striptease on 'America's Got Talent,' and the judges went wild for it

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"When I get on that stage, I want to prove that you're never too old to follow your dreams," said Dorothy Williams, a 90-year-old contestant who appeared on "America's Got Talent" July 5.

And prove it she did. 

Appearing onstage in a spangled red dress and matching feather boa, the Hilo, Hawaii resident appeared to shock the judges when she announced she would dance. But the biggest surprise came when the burlesque music kicked in and Dorothy's hips started to sway.

To general astonishment, her items of clothing dropped to the floor one by one, revealing a pair of lacy shorts and burlesque tassels that she struggled to keep spinning. Despite this hiccup, her performance earned a standing ovation from the audience and the notoriously tough judge Simon Cowell.

"I find you fascinating, Dorothy," he said. "I think we need to work a little bit more on the tassels."

"Yeah, they were working fine," she replied. "They got tired from practicing."

"No, I get that," Cowell acknowledged, as if his own burlesque tassels had just gotten tangled the other day.

AGT host Nick Cannon was so moved by her performance that he broke the rule allowing only one golden buzzer push per judge, a move that releases streams of golden confetti and sends the contestant straight to the live shows.

"You know what? I don't care, Imma break the rules," he yelled, running to the judges' platform to press it.

Watch Dorothy's striptease - and the reaction - below.