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Have you heard of Matt?


The story of Matt Harding is one of those phenomena that could only happen via the internet. Matt was a computer guy who decided to take some time off and travel the world the way he'd always dreamed of. He took his laptop with him and while he was wandering about, he posted little vids on his website, Where the Hell Is Matt?, to let his friends and family know how he was doing. For some reason, he started dancing in these videos, in different locations and always very badly, because as Matt will enthusiastically tell you himself, he is a very bad dancer.

The videos went viral, and Matt became something of a sensation. He edited his little clips together when he got home and turned them into a lovely piece with really beautiful music.

Where the Hell Is Matt? - 2005


He got noticed by Stride, a company that makes chewing gum, and they offered him a deal: put our brand on your clips and we'll fund your travels. He accepted, and now Matt makes videos around the world of himself dancing in all sorts of places.

Where the Hell Is Matt? - 2006


In 2007, Matt made his first video that included groups of people. This took the vids to a whole new level. Now the vids would not just be travelogues, but celebrations. Dancing is a universal art, an expression of joy and communality that can be found everywhere there are human beings.

Here's where I come in.

In September, Matt came to L.A. I had signed up on his site, hoping he would pick this area to touch down in, and luckily he did. A large group of people converged on Santa Monica Beach just north of the pier, and we spent a sunny afternoon hanging out and eventually dancing - very very badly - with Matt. There's nothing like dancing joyously with a large group of strangers, I'll tell you.

About six months later, Matt's video was finished and posted on his site. Here's the result:

Where the Hell Is Matt? - 2008


I love this video, even more than the earlier ones. So many people all over the world dancing together! No matter where, everyone understands the joy of dancing. (Well, almost.) It brings a tear to my eye every time, not least because Matt's really good at picking music for these videos.

The dance in L.A. is near the end. Here I am:



It was great fun, a lovely event, one I'll never forget. Matt was a sweetheart. Afterward, he hung out and took pics with us, and also danced with some of the crowd for their own little vids. Too bad I didn't have a videocam; I would have loved to have a dancing clip with him!

He's planning another video, and this time he's going to be learning how to dance. From the site:

For this new video, I'm actually learning how to dance. I'm collecting dance styles from all over the world and teaching them to groups in other parts of the world. We might be doing the tango in Helsinki, an Irish jig in Hong Kong, or some Bollywood moves in Brussels. I'm pretty sure there's some big idea in there about connecting and communicating, though I assure you, at the end of the day we'll all still just be dancing badly. Anyway, like I said, I'll be collecting dance styles, so please bring a dance you know and show it to me so I can teach it to people somewhere else.

There's a sign-up page at the site. I strongly recommend that you go there and sign up. There's no guarantee that he'll hit your area, but if he does, you'll be in for a treat you'll tell your grandkids about. Trust me.