Local dancer grooves his way onto the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Phil Villeneuve, a Trinity-Bellwoods-area resident who sings in a gospel choir in Roncesvalles Village, has taken Ellen Degeneres' Dance Dare. His video appears on the comedian's talk show Monday afternoon.
courtesy photo
Phil Villeneuve didn't hesitate for a second to take comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres' dare to dance.
DeGeneres challenged her viewers to film themselves dancing behind people - without them knowing after one of her staff members pulled the prank on her. She loved it so much that she's asking fans to post their videos to her YouTube channel for the ultimate prize of appearing on her show.
The Trinity Bellwoods-area resident is no stranger to creating videos of himself dancing in a variety of public places.
As for Ellen's Dance Dare, "A friend sent me the link. He said, 'You have to do this!' Because it's something we'd done over and over," he told The Villager on Friday, Feb. 10.
Villeneuve, who sings in a gospel choir at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on Roncesvalles Avenue, boogied to Kool and The Gang's 'Get Down On It' behind unsuspecting people, dogs and even a statue.
"I had really specific things in mind (for the video)," said Villeneuve, who also sings in a band that practices on O'Hara Avenue in Parkdale. "Like (dancing behind) a TTC operator and (on) an escalator."
He calls dancing behind a Toronto news team's TV shoot "a bonus."
Inquiring minds want to know: Are people really that oblivious?
"Absolutely," said Villeneuve, who has no formal dance training (he's only just begun taking classes at the National Ballet of Canada). "A lot of the time people are concentrating on exactly what they're doing."
Villeneuve just learned DeGeneres will show his video this Monday afternoon on her show. He says he was inspired to create dancing videos after creating mini-movies of himself as Christmas presents for family and friends one year. His crew has filmed him dancing to the late Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga - songs that he can't help but move to. He is always filmed listening to a song over his earphones.
"I've got a little rhythm," he said of his style.
Villeneuve says he's shocked at how polite people are. He has yet to get a bad reaction. He and his crew were asked to leave a No Frills store once, but even the manager was considerate, asking him to "please stop."
Villeneuve said he'd love to parlay his dancing into professional video-making. He's already got his next dance location scouted out.
"The stranger the place, the better in my opinion," he said.