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Regional daily creates dance of Di Canio celebrations

A regional daily has taken the exuberant touchline celebrations of a new football manager to heart – by creating a dance based around them.

The Sunderland Echo enlisted the help of a local street dancer to create a video dance based on the celebrations by Paolo Di Canio, the new boss at Sunderland Football Club.

Di Canio became an instant hero with the Black Cats fans after celebrating the side’s 3-0 win against arch rivals Newcastle United earlier this month with a series of emotional jigs at St James’s Park.

Now the chest-thumping, arm waving celebrations, including a slide-on-the-knees finale, have been turned into a video after the paper asked Sunderland street dancer Steve Turner – AKA The Mackem Mover – to get involved.

Editor John Szymanski. “It was an incredible win which has given the whole city a lift.

“Our sales went up, the internet had a surge in hits, and we even produced a 12-page supplement to mark the occasion.

“Everyone was talking about the special Di Canio celebrations, so we hit on the idea of turning it into a dance. We’ve had the Peter Crouch Robot, why not a Di Canio Dance?”

The paper’s video can be viewed on its website and it is also challenging its readers to outdo the Mackem Mover and produce their own Di Canio Dance.

Steve was chosen to perform the video jig after being catapulted to fame in 2008 when pundit and former footballer Jamie Redknapp dubbed him the Mackem Mover on witnessing his dance moves on TV.

8 comments

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  • April 24, 2013 at 9:31 am
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    Incitement in my opinion. His behaviour may have encouraged the subsequent behaviour of the fans. The press are not helping, and should not publicise his antics.

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  • April 24, 2013 at 4:08 pm
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    Oh no, just a football lover, certainly not from north of Worksop!

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  • April 25, 2013 at 12:00 pm
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    I used to cringe when ideas like this came up in conference, as though it was the funniest thing on earth. Sadly, I think having no shame is part and parcel of being a journalist and even sadder, I have to acknowledge this probably works. Don’t have to like it though

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  • April 25, 2013 at 3:10 pm
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    Very good, John Szymanski (my old editor from Shields Gazette – who always seemed to have the annoying knack of being able to get a great headline in a few minutes). Nice to see a bit of light-hearted humour in a newspaper.

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  • April 27, 2013 at 3:47 pm
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    Nice idea and a nice page. Especially the third picture coming out of the frame.

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