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  1. Science & Tech
16 March 2011

Julian Assange: Lord of the Dance

The WikiLeaks founder reveals his fondness for a turn around the dance floor.

By Duncan Robinson

The New Statesman was one of the first magazines to report on Julian Assange’s hitherto unnoticed dancing ability. Now, photographic evidence of Assange’s moves has emerged. The picture seems to back up what the former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg said of Assange’s dancing ability.

I remember one evening at a club in a former slaughterhouse in Wiesbaden. The others we were with nicknamed Julian “Disco King” or something like that for his unusual way of dancing. Julian took up quite a lot of space when he danced – almost like a tribesman performing some ritual. He’d spread his arms and gallop across the dance floor, taking huge steps. He didn’t look very rhythmic or co-ordinated and he didn’t seem to have that much feeling for the music but he did possess a certain cool. He didn’t care anyway what other people thought of him. You need space, he once told me, if you want your ego to flow. That statement fit well with his dance style.

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His ego certainly has the space to flow in that picture.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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