David “Elsewhere”Bernal gained acclaim years before iPhones were invented. Before Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites became a “thing,” and when the Internet was still in its relative infancy.
Diehard dance enthusiasts may have been aware of his 2001 performance at the Kollaboration talent show that year, but it wasn’t until YouTube launched in 2005 that the clip — less than a minute in its entirety — became the stuff of legends.
YouTube
Just 21 years old at the time, Bernal seemed to perform in an almost liquid state, bending, twisting and waving his arms and legs into mind-bendingly unbelievable contortions to Kraftwerk’s “Expo 2000.” In fact, he says he constantly has to explain that he’s not double jointed.
YouTube
YouTube
“I’m not double-jointed at all. The only place where I am double-jointed is my thumbs, which doesn’t even matter,”he said. “I would say I’m probably a little more flexible than most people in certain areas, mainly my shoulders and my ankles, but I wasn’t born that way. Those areas became flexible because of years of practicing.”
Facebook
Once the Kollaboration clip hit YouTube, commercial offers flowed in for the Santa Ana, Calif., native, ranging from 7-Eleven and Heineken to Volkswagen and Apple, as well as parts in movies such as “You Got Served”and “Alice in Wonderland.”After previously auditioning for but failing to win a spot with Cirque du Soleil, the famed circus offered him a job — which he turned down.
“That was pretty satisfying,” he said with a laugh.
Watch the video that put him on the map, and share David “Elsewhere”Bernal’s incredible moves!
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