Phil Likes Dancing
March 10, 2011 9:56 PM Subscribe
Phil dances in the Eaton Centre. Looks like Phil takes videos of himself dancing in various Toronto locations.
"WHY ARE YOU CLOSED?"
posted by Windopaene at 10:03 PM on March 10, 2011 [7 favorites]
posted by Windopaene at 10:03 PM on March 10, 2011 [7 favorites]
Yeah as soon as I saw the title to this video, I thought of the other Eaton Centre video that Windopaene speaks of.
But the dancing video was great and totally made my night. I wish I could possess a fraction of his uninhibitedness.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 10:16 PM on March 10, 2011
But the dancing video was great and totally made my night. I wish I could possess a fraction of his uninhibitedness.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 10:16 PM on March 10, 2011
I love how most of the bystanders just totally ignore him altogether. So Toronto. Dang I miss that crazy town.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 10:19 PM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by pick_the_flowers at 10:19 PM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
Strange that you posted the Eaton Centre vid, as this is the one that's been going viral in the last 48 hours.
posted by yellowbinder at 11:19 PM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by yellowbinder at 11:19 PM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Worthy Canadian Initiative.
posted by bicyclefish at 12:02 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by bicyclefish at 12:02 AM on March 11, 2011
I love how most of the bystanders just totally ignore him altogether. So Toronto.
Actually, they don't ignore him; their reaction is more subtle and even more unmistakably Torontonian: wariness, yes, but once they figure out what's going on, you see it shift to a combination of deference to somebody who's doing something that seems important (be cool! Don't mess up his dance!), and an understated gratitude for doing something (anything!) interesting in the first place.
Watch the moment in the subway dance where he takes a young man's hat off his head, does a dance with it, then hands it back to the guy as if to thank him - and the guy's expression basically says, "cheers, and thank you."
In Toronto, you apologize if someone steps on your toe, and if a man does a dance with your hat, you say thanks. Is this the way it works in New York? (In Toronto, that's always the next question.)
posted by bicyclefish at 12:42 AM on March 11, 2011 [17 favorites]
Actually, they don't ignore him; their reaction is more subtle and even more unmistakably Torontonian: wariness, yes, but once they figure out what's going on, you see it shift to a combination of deference to somebody who's doing something that seems important (be cool! Don't mess up his dance!), and an understated gratitude for doing something (anything!) interesting in the first place.
Watch the moment in the subway dance where he takes a young man's hat off his head, does a dance with it, then hands it back to the guy as if to thank him - and the guy's expression basically says, "cheers, and thank you."
In Toronto, you apologize if someone steps on your toe, and if a man does a dance with your hat, you say thanks. Is this the way it works in New York? (In Toronto, that's always the next question.)
posted by bicyclefish at 12:42 AM on March 11, 2011 [17 favorites]
Apparently Phil went to the Ellen DeGeneres School of Dance.
posted by fuse theorem at 2:51 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by fuse theorem at 2:51 AM on March 11, 2011
This is awesome.
But I disagree about the reaction of the bystanders - as good Torontonians, they are deeply disturbed by this public display that cannot easily be politely ignored (esp on the subway car). It's so alien, this drawing attention to oneself, that they don't know what to do.
posted by jb at 5:03 AM on March 11, 2011
But I disagree about the reaction of the bystanders - as good Torontonians, they are deeply disturbed by this public display that cannot easily be politely ignored (esp on the subway car). It's so alien, this drawing attention to oneself, that they don't know what to do.
posted by jb at 5:03 AM on March 11, 2011
No Public Displays of Emotions, please....we're Torontonians.
Actually these video are IMO what makes Toronto great. You can do anything you want as long as you're not slowing me down on my way to work. The people on the subway platform are all "hey, that's cute...gotta go." That attitude has its drawbacks, but it works.
Also, nice to see that he found something useful to do at the ROM crystal.
posted by dry white toast at 6:18 AM on March 11, 2011 [2 favorites]
Actually these video are IMO what makes Toronto great. You can do anything you want as long as you're not slowing me down on my way to work. The people on the subway platform are all "hey, that's cute...gotta go." That attitude has its drawbacks, but it works.
Also, nice to see that he found something useful to do at the ROM crystal.
posted by dry white toast at 6:18 AM on March 11, 2011 [2 favorites]
I love this. So joyful. Phil's my new internet crush.
posted by dog food sugar at 6:34 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by dog food sugar at 6:34 AM on March 11, 2011
I'm from Toronto and the bystander's reactions are exactly how I react when I come across stuff like this (admittedly it is usually teenagers, not adults); just step back and let them do their thing. How are we supposed to react?
posted by saucysault at 7:04 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by saucysault at 7:04 AM on March 11, 2011
The bystanders are reacting the same way everybody in the fucking world would react. Jesus, Toronto, get over yourself. I mean, this is great, and I love Toronto and spent my first three years as a Canadian immigrant there, but get the hell over yourself.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 7:23 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by ethnomethodologist at 7:23 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
I couldn't watch it long enough to see if security roughed him up.
posted by juiceCake at 8:12 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by juiceCake at 8:12 AM on March 11, 2011
Getting told to get the hell over yourself by a digruntled Calgarian: Another local rite.
posted by bicyclefish at 8:15 AM on March 11, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by bicyclefish at 8:15 AM on March 11, 2011 [6 favorites]
get the hell over yourself
Wise men follow their own counsel...
And how does a city get over itself?
posted by juiceCake at 9:45 AM on March 11, 2011
Wise men follow their own counsel...
And how does a city get over itself?
posted by juiceCake at 9:45 AM on March 11, 2011
juiceCake: "And how does a city get over itself?"
By electing Rob Ford. *sigh*
posted by maudlin at 10:27 AM on March 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
By electing Rob Ford. *sigh*
posted by maudlin at 10:27 AM on March 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
Another moment which made me think, "Oh, you, Toronto":
After he gets off the subway, the reaction of the woman in the red jacket. 'Walking. Walking. Oh hey, a man dancing. He's getting closer. A pirouette? Don't mind if I do. Walking. Walking.'
The bystanders are reacting the same way everybody in the fucking world would react. Jesus, Toronto, get over yourself.
I don't know, maybe you're right. But as an expat in Berlin, the videos still screamed 'hometown'. Maybe it was all in my hand but it sure made me grin.
posted by Alex404 at 11:35 AM on March 11, 2011
After he gets off the subway, the reaction of the woman in the red jacket. 'Walking. Walking. Oh hey, a man dancing. He's getting closer. A pirouette? Don't mind if I do. Walking. Walking.'
The bystanders are reacting the same way everybody in the fucking world would react. Jesus, Toronto, get over yourself.
I don't know, maybe you're right. But as an expat in Berlin, the videos still screamed 'hometown'. Maybe it was all in my hand but it sure made me grin.
posted by Alex404 at 11:35 AM on March 11, 2011
By way of comparison, this feels so Berlin to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WReevc7P0lA
posted by Alex404 at 11:41 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WReevc7P0lA
posted by Alex404 at 11:41 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
I may not have fully appreciated the one where he dances on the subway, because about halfway through I had a mini panic attack on his behalf: "Hey, he's getting off the train, but wait, he left his jacket on that lady's lap, oh, I'm sure he'll pick up in a sec, oh, no, wait, he's dancing further down the station, hang on, the train is leaving and OH MY GOODNESS DUDE YOUR JACKET IS LEAVING WITHOUT YOU! What will he do? Will he get it back? WHAT ABOUT THE JACKET?"
I've told myself that he had a plant on the train to collect his jacket after he got off, or the camera person got it somehow. Because I can't stop worrying about that jacket.
posted by paisley sheep at 1:06 PM on March 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
I've told myself that he had a plant on the train to collect his jacket after he got off, or the camera person got it somehow. Because I can't stop worrying about that jacket.
posted by paisley sheep at 1:06 PM on March 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
I told myself he was being followed by a retinue of handlers who were toting equipment, picking up discarded items, and apologizing profusely to everyone he bumped.
posted by bicyclefish at 1:09 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by bicyclefish at 1:09 PM on March 11, 2011
The bystanders are reacting the same way everybody in the fucking world would react.
--ethnomethodologist
I used to travel a lot and either the world has changed or this statement is incorrect. I ran into a lot more people who are like you.
posted by eye of newt at 9:29 PM on March 11, 2011
--ethnomethodologist
I used to travel a lot and either the world has changed or this statement is incorrect. I ran into a lot more people who are like you.
posted by eye of newt at 9:29 PM on March 11, 2011
Saw identical to this here on the blue, but done in Hamilton which is 60 km away:
http://www.metafilter.com/74651/Vitamin-Hamilton
Unfortunately the fellow's YT account seems to have been terminated.
posted by Randwulf at 10:18 PM on March 11, 2011
http://www.metafilter.com/74651/Vitamin-Hamilton
Unfortunately the fellow's YT account seems to have been terminated.
posted by Randwulf at 10:18 PM on March 11, 2011
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(Never seen the Eaton Centre so empty in my life, though.)
posted by dobbs at 10:03 PM on March 10, 2011