Sherwood Park’s Roadside Dancing Man Ticketed by RCMP After Public Complaints
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For years, drivers passing through one of Sherwood Park, Alberta’s busiest intersections could count on an unexpected sight: a young man dancing near the curb, helmet on, longboard nearby, moving to his own rhythm.
But now, the corner of Baseline Road and Sherwood Drive feels a little quieter.
The familiar curbside performer is 21-year-old Caden Skelton, known to many in the community simply as the dancing man. For the past couple of years, Skelton has turned the intersection into his stage, bringing a burst of energy to passing motorists, bus drivers, students, and anyone else who happened to catch his routine while stopped in traffic.
Skelton says his dancing began after a serious brain injury he suffered while riding an electric longboard without a helmet
“I just started getting back on the board less than a month after I got out of the hospital, and just decided, you know what, I’m going to bust down a boogie on my board,” Skelton said.
He chose the Sherwood Park intersection because of the sheer number of people who pass through it every day.
“I was able to impact the kids that had a bad day at school,” he said. “I could impact the bus drivers that they’re just like, hum drum day, got nothing better to do, ‘Oh look there’s a guy dancing right there, yeah.’”
But Skelton’s dancing has now stopped after he received $1,500 worth of tickets from Strathcona County RCMP.
“They gave me a stunting ticket,” Skelton said. “They told me if I dance again I’m going to be arrested or given another ticket. If I sing again I’m going to be arrested or given another ticket.”
Strathcona County RCMP say the issue is safety. According to police, they received multiple public complaints about dancing at the busy intersection.
“Our primary concern is and will remain public safety, both for the individual and for motorists and pedestrians using the roadway,” said Const. Cheri-Lee Smith with Strathcona County RCMP.
Police say enforcement came only after previous attempts to deal with the issue through education and communication were unsuccessful.
Skelton, however, feels singled out.
“They’re not giving tickets to anyone else doing what I’m doing or a different form of what I’m doing, but they’re only giving it to me,” he said.
“There was room for compromise,” Skelton said. “I was working with the superintendent and the chief of police on things, and we came to an agreement. I said, all right, I’ll work with you guys on this. Officers have decided to step over that.”
His family says they understand why some people may have first seen the dancing as unusual, but over time, they watched the community response become overwhelmingly positive.
“When he first started to dance on the corner, I probably was the same reaction as some people, like that’s a little strange,” said Debbie Banks, Skelton’s grandmother. “But you know what, after a while, I started seeing the posts, the positive posts and hearing stories of how he’s been really bringing joy to people, it just really warmed my heart.”
For now, Skelton hopes the situation with RCMP can be resolved so he can return to the corner and continue doing what he loves.
“It’s almost telling me, ‘We don’t want you to be doing this, we want you to be normal,’” Skelton said. “But being normal is no fun.”
This story is covered in this week’s Keep Canada Weird news roundup.
