Do you remember the 21st night of September? Specifically in 2016 when an oddly charming man posted a video of himself dancing on Twitter? No, you’re not under arrest. This is the curious case of a man who slowly danced his way into a million-dollar charity.
From humble beginnings as a random dude shimmying his limbs inside a depressingly stark bedroom to a full-scale Michel Gondry-Esque production chock-full of surreal set-pieces and idiosyncratic transitions, Demi Adejuyigbe has been obsessed with September 21 for six straight years.
Born from his love of Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic hit ‘September’, Adejuyigbe posted his first 9/21 video only after his roommate laughed out loud while watching it. Despite gaining traction on social media, the Texas comedian never thought it would go this far. The first post was made purely as a laugh, a boring night stuck inside his two-bedroom apartment. But a year later folks on Twitter started wondering if there would be a follow-up.
“I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I should do another one. Oh, that’d be fun if I escalated this year,'” Adejuyigbe recalls. “And then as soon as I had done two, it was like, ‘It’s a pattern. You’re going to do this every year now.'”
Along the way, the videos began to grow more ambitious, not only in the creative vision but also in their purpose. Once they became a perennial favorite, Adejuyigbe decided to use his viral attention to raise money for charity.
For his final installment of the 9/21 series, Adejuyigbe is raising money for three great organizations: the Sunrise Movement (tackling climate issues), Imagine Water Works (providing Hurricane Ida relief), and the West Fund (a nonprofit helping provide access to abortions in Texas). His farewell video has already raised $800,000.
Here’s where it all began:
— demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) September 22, 2016
And here’s where it ended up:
So next time you get a wild hair up your ass follow it through and see where it takes you. You never know, it might just lead to the best night of your life six years and counting.
Cover Photo: YouTube
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