Monday, January 7, 2013

  Largest Soul Train dance: Philadelphia breaks Guinness world record (VIDEO)

PHILADELPHIA, USA -- 291 Philadelphians, including Mayor Michael Nutter, formed a long line in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to recreate a signature of the long-running television program in which dancers form two lines with a space in the middle for each dancer to strut down, setting the new world record for the Largest Soul Train Dance, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.

  Photo: Mike Avello, dressed as Rocky Balboa, participates in the Soul Train dance line record attempt, in Philadelphia. Photo: Joseph Kaczmarek/AP ( enlarge photo )

The Guinness world record for the largest Soul Train dance consisted of 291 participants and was achieved by the Philadelphia Soul Train Line Dancers (all USA), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the largest Twist dance, achieved by 1,706 participants at an event organised by WSYD-AM Radio in Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA.

  The event was to honor Don Cornelius, the silken-voiced "Soul Train" host who died in February 2012.

  The previous Guinness world record of 211 set in Beverly Hills, Calif., was beat in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with 291 participants.

  Mayor Nutter recalled spending most of the chilly day in meetings at City Hall, and that his staff encouraged him to go to the event and have a good time, but warned, "the one thing you cannot do is go down that line!"

  "We have a lot of challenges in this city, in the midst of that we need to take some time to celebrate Philadelphia love, peace and soul," he said.