Dan Graham takes time off body-popping by relaxing with his girlfriend Samantha at home in Epsom, Surrey
The dancing PC who stole the show at the Notting Hill Carnival says his soaring fame has one big drawback – suspects want to see his moves.
More than 10 million people have viewed a video of ‘Dancing’ Dan Graham, 34, showing off his skills in the Bank Holiday weekend sunshine.
Sparking headlines around the world, it captured a stunned DJ shouting: ‘He’s not Feds, he ain’t police – you must be an undercover raver!’
The video is the latest to feature his unusual body-popping skills which catapulted him to the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year.
But Pc Graham said his unexpected celebrity status has left some completely baffled, even as they face arrest.
‘On patrol one night there were people being a bit rowdy, a bit obnoxious,’ he said. ‘I was trying to sort it out before it escalated.
‘But they were not listening and then suddenly one of the women said: ‘It’s Dancing Dan!’ They got their phones out and played the videos.
‘It did help defuse the situation on that occasion but it is getting harder and harder not to be recognised.
‘We conducted a search at a suspected cannabis farm the other day and the suspect was in handcuffs. He suddenly looked at me and said: ‘Are you Dancing Dan?’
Pc Graham says he has always had a passion for dance since taking the stage in a Butlin’s competition when he was just 10 years old.
Inspired by his hero Michael Jackson he put on his famous moonwalk and won, with the prize of another holiday for his family.
He describes his main moves as ‘body popping’, in which his limbs appear ‘disjointed and robotic’, saying: ‘It’s what catches people’s attention because it is unique.’
But his skills were only revealed to the world when he featured in a dance video by Kingston Police as part of the Running Man phenomenon last year.
Dancing Dan’s moves at Notting Hill have been viewed by over 10million people online
Brought up in Sutton, Surrey, he was posted to a response team in the south west London borough in 2013, three years after signing up as a Pcso.
He was persuaded to lead the choreographed police station car park routine by colleagues who had seen his footwork at a work do.
‘We had had a Christmas party and up until that point I had never shown anybody my dance moves,’ Pc Graham said. ‘I had a few drinks and put on a few and everybody loved it’
The video was watched by millions and he was persuaded to apply to Britain’s Got Talent where his distinctive routines made him a household favourite.
‘Britain’s Got Talent was absolutely mad. It was a brilliant experience and one that I will take to the grave. Certainly not an everyday experience,’ he added.
‘Even when the cameras were turned off Simon Cowell was friendly and approachable and he doesn’t just put an act on for the cameras.’
The dancing PC said he’s happy that people are able to relate to an officer through the video
Pc Graham ended up stepping in and helping to arrest a suspected drink driver after one of his TV auditions.
He called in colleagues from neighbouring Surrey Police after coming across the driver in his vehicle, smelling of drink and with booze spilled inside the footwell.
‘As police officers we are always on duty,’ he said. ‘There’s a lot of pressure knowing if someone is in trouble you should step up.
‘I know my colleagues would have done the same thing as that driver was potentially under influence of drink or drugs and it could be someone’s child or relative that gets run over.’
Living in Surrey, with his girlfriend Samantha, 31, Pc Graham hopes to be able to continue to combine his dancing with his career in uniform.
He appeared on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year and performed to carnival-goers
He has recently moved to a neighbourhood team and hopes the more regular hours will enable him to do more ‘outreach’ work for the force.
Pc Graham said that he is inundated with requests to visit schools, care homes and hospitals to ‘talk about safety and do a little dance’.
He said that before the internet videos he had not danced for a long time and he has been forced into the studio to ‘sharpen up my skills’.
‘When I started with police it took a real back seat because being a police officer is a challenging role plus fitting in family you don’t get a lot of social time,’ he said.
‘I’ve had to dust off some cobwebs with my dancing because I’m by no means a professional dancer and I just want to sharpen it up again.’
Speaking about the Notting Hill video, he said: ‘It has got to be over 10 million views. One site alone has got over 4.5million and there are several others with millions more.
‘I really do think it is just a breath of fresh air for people to be able to relate to a police officer like this through music and dance.
‘You find it one-to-one when you are working, but to be out there and show to the world something a bit human is something they can really relate to.’