Ole George aims to dance way into Guinness Book of World Records

Earl ‘Ole George’ Daniel continues his mission to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Come Thursday, May 31, 2018, Daniel will attempt to dance until June 7, 2018, and if he is successful, he will hold the record for longest dance on record, some 168 hours.  

Daniel, who returns to his adopted homeland of Quebec, Canada, today, Tuesday, February 13, was in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), putting things in place for his week-long dance.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that while the venue is not yet finalized, he is looking at using the upper level of the Kingstown Vegetable Market to attempt the record-breaking dance.

Daniel, a social worker in Quebec, said this time around, his dancing will be used to bring attention to crime and diabetes, as statistics in these areas point to serious problems, in his opinion.

He is hoping to work along with local police and has already touched base with the Barbados Diabetic Association.

“Sometimes we look to the politicians and the police, sometimes we look to somebody else to solve the problems, but we hardly look at ourselves,” said Daniel, who added that to help solve some issues, we must look at ourselves and ask certain questions.

He said that it is important that persons do self-assessment and make contracts with themselves to do things differently.

“In SVG, we speak violently a lot of times. If you stand up and listen how people talk to one another, we hear violence; so, this dance is to check us, press pause and let’s do a little evaluation, self-evaluation,” said Daniel. Daniel shot to fame in 1998 when he walked around SVG. He said that back then, he walked for one day, but he was curious as to how long he could walk for, so he did it for two days, then three days.

He later found out that the Guinness Book of World Record’s longest walk record was held by a man in England, who in 2005, walked for six days, 23 mins.He then went to Jamaica in 2006, where he walked for seven days around Emancipation Park. Then again in 2007, he walked for seven days, one hour and in 2008 walked for eight days in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Also, in 2008, Daniel walked from Montreal to New York. He has also walked around Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, all the Grenadine islands and has walked around SVG a total nine times.

Unable to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for his walking, Daniel switched to dancing in 2012. His first long distance dance attempt was done in Nunavik (northern third of the province of Quebec).

Daniel said that in Nunavik, there was a serious problem with suicide that year, averaging maybe 10 to 12 suicides per month, so he decided to do a dance to address that issue.

“It was really impacting. I danced for five and a half days and that was to break the world record, which was 123 hours, but we had a glitch with the timekeeping, so Guinness did not accept it,” explained Daniel.

He said that fast forwarding to 2018, Odumewu Debbie, also known as Pinki Debbie, a Nigerian dancer and choreographer, has the record for “the longest dancing marathon by an individual,” so he is trying to take that record from her.

“She danced for 150 hours, so I said, ‘wow’, I wasn’t planning on dancing for so long, because I hardly made the five and a half days some years ago; so, I contacted Guinness, but Guinness told me that they have not accepted her record, so the record to beat is 123 hours, So, with that in mind, I say I will be dancing for seven days, 168 hours; so, with the encouragement of everybody, I should be able to do it,” said Daniel.

He is in the process of putting together a committee, which must consist of timekeepers and persons who will monitor the process. Officials from the Guinness Book of Records will come in on the last day of the dance.

“A lot of checks and balances must be in place. To bring personnel from Guinness, is US$10,000 per day, plus airfare, plus accommodation; so they will come for one day so that they can verify it and say that’s a record right on the spot,” Daniel told SEARCHLIGHT.

He noted that when he danced in Nunavik, he did so to soca, reggae, hip hop and calypso, among other genres, but this time around he would be dancing to only religious music.

“…I am going in a different direction, because I believe the spiritual element is important,” said Daniel, who is hoping that the venture can be a seven-day serious event, where churches will have meetings in the area and steel orchestras can do concerts.

“It must be a national effort; everybody nationally must have a stake in it, seven days of non-stop action,” said George.

He stressed that he is hoping that this time around, he can break the record, as in his opinion, during his other attempts, “Guinness kept shifting the goal post.”

He said that when he did his first walk, he was told by Guinness that the longest walk was done in a park, but he did his on a road, so he switched to a park. Then they said they “don’t keep that as a record anymore.”

“So, I look at it as a test of my will not to give up; so if walking doesn’t work, I will dance. They told me the record, so there is no reason not to recognize this,” said Daniel.

He said also that these events are extremely stressful to the body and he has been advised by doctors that his organs (brain, kidney, heart) can shut down because of the constant movement and not sleeping.

“This venture is not medically sound and advisable, but I know medical science has its limitations. I know the powers of the mind is greater that we think it is,” said Daniel.

“The last dance, my feet got numb from toes up to hip. I couldn’t move, so I moved my upper body. I watch my body shutting down, but mind power kicked in,” recalled Daniel on Saturday.

He also recalled that during one of his walks in SVG, he fell into a gutter in the Villa area, because his brain shut down. He said that the fall shook him up and he continued walking.  

“They say we only use 10 per cent of brainpower and on any exam 10 per cent is a failure, so that means that I am underperforming as a human being and there is more to me; so, I want to know how much more is there to me; so, the more I dance and walk, I am discovering I can do more,” said Daniel.(LC)