An Englishman plans to dance the length of Route 66 and beyond in America to raise money for a charity that fights slavery and human trafficking.
Ben Hammond, 40, aka Planet Dancer, is a lecturer and teacher at UCL Institute of Education in London. He began his journey March 28 from the Santa Monica Pier and is dancing his way east to the East Coast.
According to a live feed from his website, he was in Barstow, California, on Tuesday night and would return to England for a while after dancing to the remote Mojave Desert outpost of Amboy, California.
He told the Victorville Daily Press he would return to California in July or August to finish his trek in the Golden State. He plans to follow much of the path to Route 66 to Chicago, then on to New York City. He acknowledged that dancing across America may take years.
The newspaper reported:
Blaring an eclectic mix of music and sporting his signature neon yellow tutu and headband, the energetic and friendly Hammond told the Daily Press he’s looking for Californians to take him “under their wings” by offering whatever they can to help him along Route 66.
“Dancing across the U.S. is the most inefficient way to travel, but very fun,” Hammond said. “You burn a lot of energy moving and grooving every step of the way, but people have been very encouraging as they honk and wave.” […]
Hammond is no stranger to endurance dancing feats. In 2011, he completed the world’s longest ever dance non-stop, logging 15 hours of daily dancing for five days. In 2012/13, he danced 1,300 miles from the top to bottom of the United Kingdom. He was awarded a British Empire Medal in the 2018 New Years’ Honours list for his services to dance and charity.
Hammond is raising money for Anti-Slavery International. He’s two-thirds to his goal of 5,000 British pounds.
The Daily Press posted this video of Hammond in Hesperia, California.
(Image of Ben Hammond, aka Planet Dancer, at the Santa Monica Pier via his website)
Lindsey Buckingham would approve.