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Bullied 'Dancing Man' Gets Hollywood Dance Party DJed By Moby
Sean O'Brien dances without shame (Photo by The Yodsuckers via The Dance Free Movement's Facebook page)
A man who was bullied on the Internet, then located using the power of the Internet, had a party thrown for him in Hollywood this weekend. The Avalon hosted a dance party this weekend with music from Moby and Pharrell for a man who was once shamed for dancing, KTLA reports.
Sean O'Brien, 47, perhaps now best known as 'The Dancing Man,' suddenly found himself at the center of a viral sensation after someone posted a photo of him online with the intention of bullying him. The photo, posted on 4Chan, depicted O'Brien first dancing, then looking despondent after he saw the supposed photo taker laughing at him. The malicious plan backfired when the photo surfaced in a private Facebook group of L.A. area women, who decided to track him down and throw him a party where he could dance without being intimidated. The dancing man was eventually identified as Sean O'Brien, a financier living in London.
After weeks of planning, the party happened on Saturday. Despite initial rumors that it would be held at the L.A. Coliseum, the Avalon in Hollywood ended up playing host to over 1,000 attendees, including celebrity guests Monica Lewinsky and Andrew WK. Lewinksy previously referred to herself as the 'patient zero' of cyberbullying in a recent TEDtalk. The dance tracks came courtesy of Moby and Pharrell.
So happy that #DancingMan had such a good night last night.
— moby XⓋX (@thelittleidiot) May 24, 2015
Have fun tonight @dancingmanfound @CassandraRules. The whole world is dancing with you #DancingMan #DANCEFREE
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) May 24, 2015
.@AndrewWK parties with @Dancingmanfound, proving there can be no party without respect http://t.co/umGr3Z3O5o pic.twitter.com/vZ9HY35jTf
— Chase Kell (@chaser19) May 25, 2015
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O'Brien also threw out the first pitch at yesterday's Dodgers game. He also recently appeared on The Today Show in New York where he danced with pop singer Meghan Trainor.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I'm going to grasp it with both hands," O'Brien told ABC 7.
A GoFundMe raised $40,000 for the party, and the extra funds were donated to U.K. anti-bullying organization, The CyberSmile Foundation.
and everyone who has supported and followed for last two months to help make it happen. So much love in the world @DanceFreeMvmt
— Dancing Man (@Dancingmanfound) May 24, 2015
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