2A - Thursday, January 18, 2007

2A Thrsdy, anury 8, 007The Michigan Daily - michigandlailycom 40

MONDAY: TUESDAY:
The Extremist Arbor Anecdot

'Stranger' in the alley.
A2 man moonwaiks his way to campus stardom

Ann Arhnr native Brian Wooiridge
has heen dancing the moonwalk in
the alley behind the Liberty Square
parking structure since 1995.
Woolridge, 34, first began dancing
in the alley when he noticed that it
wasn't being used fnr anything else.
Sonn his sulo performances set
to Michael Jatkson began to garner
attention.
"I guess people would walk by
and watch," Woolridge said. "I
guess I became 'the Michael Jack-
son guy."
Over the years, he's perfected his
technique by watching videos of
Jackson's performances, which have
heen given to him by other Michael
Jackson fans. He said his collec-
tion includes everything from tapes
of The Jackson Five's early variety
show performances to Jackson's solo
concerts.
"You'd he surprised at the stuffI
have of him," said Woolridge, who
grew up with the nickname Michael.
"Probably stuff that people will never,

ever see again."
He lists "Sad," "Billie Jean" and
"The Way You Make Me Feel" among
his favorite songs to perform to. But
one tune, "Stranger in Moscow,"
from Jackson's epic HIStory two-disc
album, carries a deeper meaning for
Woolridge.
Woolridge said he identifies with
the song's lyrics and its video, both of
which express feelings of loneliness
and isolation.
"I guess I'm really kinds isolated
sometimes," he said.
He said that while dancing helps
him deal with this isolation, it can also
contribute to it. Sometimes, people stop
to watch him. But when he approaches
them, they often walk away.
Once a crowd of police officers
stopped to watch.
"Should I put my hands up or
what?" he remembered thinking.
After watching for a few moments,
the officers moved on. But another
encounter with the law wasn't as
harmless.

After an article appeared in a
local newspaper insinuating that the
"Michael Jackson dancer" had groped
a girl, officers approached Woolridge
while he was dancing across from
Mongolian Barbeque on Main Street
to ask him aboutcthe incident. The case
was later dropped because Woolridge
was at work at e time of the incident.
Woolridge said he can usually he
found dancing in the Liherty Street
alley on weekend afternoons after he
gets off work at the Meijer on Carpen-
ter Road, where he's employed as a jan-
itor. The recenttcold weather, however,
has kept him from dancing, he said.
He'll he dancing again at the Project
Suyana Date Auction on Feb. 2.
He said he*spends a lot of money
on batteries for his boombox and on
replacing shoes he has worn out over
the years.
TARYN HARTMAN
- Know a campus character worthy
of a profile? f-mail suggestions to news@
michigondaily.com.

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40

40

Z3AC0A763MEISNER Daily
Brian Woolridge, an Ypsilanti resident, dances to Michael
ackson musc in a Liherty Street alley last fall. Woolridge
sad he has wornro0670 number at pars of shoes dancng.
CRIME NOTES

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

Suspected thief
actually a friend
WHERE: University Hos-
pital
WHEN: Tuesday at about
10 arm.
WHAT: A doctor called
police after seeing a roan
going through a patient's
belongings, the Department
of Public Safety reported.
The man had the patient's
permission to look through
the items.
Person slips on
North Campus
sidewalk
WHERE: Pierpont Coin-

WHEN: Tuesday at about 1
p.m.
WHAT: A person slipped and
fell on the sidewalk ootside of
the boilding's entrance, DPS
reported.
Employee slips
in bathroom,
injures ankle
WHERE: Ruthven Museum
WHEN: Tuesday at shout
10 am.
WHAT: A female staff
member fell and injured her
ankle in the restroom, DPS
reported. A Huron Valley
Ambulance transported
her to the emergency

Atomic Cafe
movie screening
WHAT: A showing of a film
of collected clips from the
1940s to the 1960s related
to the atomic bomb scare.
Admission is free.
WHO: The Department of
Screen Arts and Cultures
along with Women Make
Films Too
WHEN: Today at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Modern Languag-
es Building, Lecture Hall 2
Fiction and
poetry reading
WHAT: Authors Sean Nor-
con and Patrick OKeefe read
their work
WHO: The Zell Visiting

Writers Series
WHEN: Today at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Rackham Amphi-
theatre
Space mass
meeting
WHAT: An Engineering lab
recruits students for upconm-
ing projects
WHO: Student Space Sys-
tems Fabrication Lab
WHEN: Today from 8:30
and 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Room 1500, Elec-
trical Engineering and Conm-
puter Science Building
CORRECTIONS
Please report any error in
the Daily to corrections@
michigandailycom.

1The University's Kellogg Eye
Center is one of a handful of
hospitals performing phakic
intraocular lenses implants, an
alternative to LASIK eye sur-
gery. The new procedure is an
option for patients who don't
qualify for LASIK or who prefer
a reversible procedure.
2Aspiring musicians can
use a recording studio on
North Campus for free
if they complete a two-week
course first. >>FOR MORE, SEE THE
B-SIDE, PAGE 2B.
3Nine-year-old Samaj Booker
successfully snuck aboard
Iwo separate Southwest
Airlines flights Monday. He was
caught when he took a wrong
connection and landed in San
Antonio instead of Dallas, The
Associated Press reported.

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