David Elsewhere
Encyclopedia
David "Elsewhere" Bernal (born August 2, 1979) is an illusionary dancer from Santa Ana, California
. His mother is Peruvian, and his father from New Mexico. He became known through a viral video
clip
—often titled Kolla2001— of his participation in the 2001 edition of the Korean American
talent show Kollaboration
, dancing to Kraftwerk
's song Expo 2000
.
The clip showcased Bernal's characteristic take on the contemporary dance
styles of popping
and abstract waving. Performances of these dances were rare at the time, and the clip became very popular when it circulated on the internet — so popular that in November 2006, The Viral Factory, a viral marketing company, collated page-impression figures from websites such as YouTube
and Google Videos. They determined that, as of November 2006, this video had been viewed over 200 million times, making it the 8th most viewed video.
Bernal is not double jointed, a popular misconception. He says:
"I’m not double-jointed at all. The only place where I am double-jointed is my thumbs, which doesn’t even matter. I would say I’m probably a little more flexible than most people in certain areas, mainly my shoulders and my ankles, but I wasn’t born that way. Those areas became flexible because of years of practicing."
Bernal was later hired to participate in advertisements for Heineken
(dancing to "Cobrastyle" by the Teddybears), Volkswagen
, Apple iPod
, 7-Eleven
Slurpee
, Pepsi
, Puma
, and Doritos
. He also made a cameo appearance
in the movie You Got Served
and TV performances including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Computer graphics technology were used in several of the commercials Bernal took part in, superimposing others' faces (old, young, male, female) onto his body so that they appeared to dance like him. In one of his most popular ads, a commercial for the Volkswagen Golf
GTI created in January of 2005, Gene Kelly
's head was superimposed onto Bernal's body in a re-enactment of Singin' in the Rain
remixed by Manchester
group Mint Royale
.
Bernal also filmed and edited a large amount of the documentary video titled Detours. The video featured experimental dance styles focused primarily on four dancers, Midus, Kujo, Rawbzilla, and Elsewhere. While focusing much of the video on the four primary dancers, dozens of others were also featured in the video. The project has since ended and videos can be bought through various websites.
In September 2006, he was featured in the music video, for "Sister Twisted
", a song by Mexican band Kinky
, in which he plays a Mexican cowboy who does a twisted locking and popping performance while a war against aliens occurs in the background.
On August 8, 2007, Bernal and his dancing were featured in a segment of the inaugural episode of ABC's new video-clip program, i-Caught
.
Bernal was collaborating with Michael Jackson for Michael's "This Is It
" residency at London's O2 Arena prior to Jackson's death.
Bernal was the dance double for the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton
's Alice in Wonderland
(2010) during the "Futterwacken" dance.
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
. His mother is Peruvian, and his father from New Mexico. He became known through a viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
clip
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
—often titled Kolla2001— of his participation in the 2001 edition of the Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
talent show Kollaboration
Kollaboration (talent show)
Kollaboration is an annual talent show created by a small group of professional young Asian American and Asian Canadian volunteers.-History:...
, dancing to Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
's song Expo 2000
Expo 2000 (song)
"Expo 2000" is a song by Kraftwerk. It was originally an a cappella jingle commissioned for the Hannover Expo 2000 convention in Germany, which was subsequently developed into longer pieces with music and additional lyrics....
.
The clip showcased Bernal's characteristic take on the contemporary dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
styles of popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
and abstract waving. Performances of these dances were rare at the time, and the clip became very popular when it circulated on the internet — so popular that in November 2006, The Viral Factory, a viral marketing company, collated page-impression figures from websites such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Google Videos. They determined that, as of November 2006, this video had been viewed over 200 million times, making it the 8th most viewed video.
Bernal is not double jointed, a popular misconception. He says:
"I’m not double-jointed at all. The only place where I am double-jointed is my thumbs, which doesn’t even matter. I would say I’m probably a little more flexible than most people in certain areas, mainly my shoulders and my ankles, but I wasn’t born that way. Those areas became flexible because of years of practicing."
Bernal was later hired to participate in advertisements for Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
(dancing to "Cobrastyle" by the Teddybears), Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, Apple iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
Slurpee
Slurpee
A Slurpee is a flavored frozen drink sold by 7-Eleven. In 1967, 7-Eleven licensed the product from the ICEE Company, and began selling it as the Slurpee.-Slurpee history:Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s...
, Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
, and Doritos
Doritos
Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....
. He also made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the movie You Got Served
You Got Served
You Got Served is a film written and directed by Chris Stokes, manager of its stars, recording artist Omarion, Marques Houston and the members of boy band B2K. The plot concerns a group of dancers, who take part in a street dancing competition...
and TV performances including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Computer graphics technology were used in several of the commercials Bernal took part in, superimposing others' faces (old, young, male, female) onto his body so that they appeared to dance like him. In one of his most popular ads, a commercial for the Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
GTI created in January of 2005, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
's head was superimposed onto Bernal's body in a re-enactment of Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...
remixed by Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
group Mint Royale
Mint Royale
Mint Royale is a big beat electronic music act from Manchester, England. They were originally founded by the duo Neil Claxton and Chris Baker in 1997; the latter left the band in 2004, but Claxton continues to produce music using the Mint Royale name.-Career:...
.
Bernal also filmed and edited a large amount of the documentary video titled Detours. The video featured experimental dance styles focused primarily on four dancers, Midus, Kujo, Rawbzilla, and Elsewhere. While focusing much of the video on the four primary dancers, dozens of others were also featured in the video. The project has since ended and videos can be bought through various websites.
In September 2006, he was featured in the music video, for "Sister Twisted
Reina (album)
Reina is a self produced album by the Mexican electro-pop band Kinky. It was released on September 5, 2006 on Nettwerk. The album's lyrics are sung more in English than Spanish, unlike Kinky's two preceding albums, Kinky and Atlas...
", a song by Mexican band Kinky
Kinky (band)
Kinky is a five-member band from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, formed in 1998 as part of the Avanzada Regia musical movement and consisting of Gilberto Cerezo, Ulises Lozano, Carlos Chairez, Omar Góngora, and Cesar Pliego. The band's music is heavily influenced by Latin music, rock, dance, and...
, in which he plays a Mexican cowboy who does a twisted locking and popping performance while a war against aliens occurs in the background.
On August 8, 2007, Bernal and his dancing were featured in a segment of the inaugural episode of ABC's new video-clip program, i-Caught
I-Caught
i-CAUGHT is an ABC News newsmagazine program hosted by Bill Weir which ran from August 7 to September 11, 2007 at 10:00 PM ET. Originally a midseason project, the series aired during the Summer and briefly aired in Australia on the Nine Network....
.
Bernal was collaborating with Michael Jackson for Michael's "This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)
This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...
" residency at London's O2 Arena prior to Jackson's death.
Bernal was the dance double for the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
(2010) during the "Futterwacken" dance.