Police in Alberta say dancing isn't the issue in debate over roadside entertainer

Caden Skelton crosses the intersection of Sherwood Dr. and Baseline Rd. in Sherwood Park, Alta., on Saturday, June 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/James Maclennan

EDMONTON — An Alberta man who took up dancing on street corners as therapy following a head injury has attracted the ire of Mounties but also support from people who feel his moves bring nothing but smiles.

Caden Skelton, 21, says it started after he had a debilitating electric longboarding accident in 2023. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.

“One day after I got out of the hospital and I got back on my board, I was listening to some good tunes. And I’m like, you know what? I wanna groove to this,” said Skelton, who lives and dances in Sherwood Park, just east of Edmonton.

His shuffles, wiggles, twists, as well as his singing, have attracted waves and honks of support from motorists for years. He said some businesses have even paid him to hold up signs while he dances.

The RCMP started cracking down on his streetside boogie last Canada Day, he said.

Officers told him they had received complaints, he said, and they let him off with a warning at first but now he has racked up to more than $850 in fines for stunting or other offences.

“Dancing in and of itself is not the issue,” said Const. Cheri-Lee Smith, a spokeswoman for the Strathcona County RCMP.

“Our primary concern is, and it will remain, public safety.”

She said she can’t comment on the specifics of Skelton’s case but that safety concerns were explained and more suitable dance locations were suggested.

“It’s a very busy roadway, and obviously there’s concerns,” she said.

Supporters of Skelton have posted plans online to hold a dance party Sunday night at Baseline Road and Sherwood Drive, the intersection where Skelton said he was told he has been a distraction.

Online supporters of Skelton suggest his dancing is no more distracting than electronic billboards. Others say there’s plenty of places he could dance without creating a safety issue.

Controversy over dancing has happened before in Alberta. In 2009, Dan Booth, known as “Dancing Dan,” spawned a protest after he was ticketed for stunting while dancing at an intersection in Spruce Grove, west of Edmonton.

And in 2015, a Kickstarter campaign sought to raise $100,000 to hire actor Kevin Bacon to attend a dance party outside Taber, Alta. The party was intended to protest a town bylaw prohibiting bad behaviour, including spitting, swearing, yelling and too much noise from bars. Opponents likened it to a ban on dancing in the 1984 film “Footloose” starring Bacon.

Skelton said not everyone likes his performances. Some think he’s homeless or a drug dealer.

Online, some have accused him of using foul language and giving people the finger. He admits to cussing but said the only people he made the rude gesture at were police when they confronted him.

Last Monday, he said, Mounties warned him that he could be arrested for dancing again.

“I understand ... it could be a little distracting to see me dancing and singing. I’m not gonna deny that it is a little strange,” Skelton said, adding if there’s a crash he’s not really responsible.

“You were supposed to be following the road, watching the road. You were supposed to be paying attention. That is what I see.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2026.

Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian Press