In this vibrant interview, I sit down with Danny Henry, better known as Danny Dancer, a Manchester icon known for his street performances and deep roots in the city’s club culture. I first remember seeing Danny dance at The Hacienda on Wednesday nights, but today, he’s famous for his street performances across Manchester city centre.
Danny shares how he dances with various musicians and performers, including Jali, who plays the African kora, a 21-string harp-like instrument that carries poetic, uplifting messages. He also dances to the rhythms of Djembe drums, the modern sounds of Afro House with DJ Respect, and reggae beats with Embarda, a flute player who sometimes brings a speaker. Danny even collaborates with a drummer from Wolverhampton who plays Fusion and well-known tracks.
We also dive into his unexpected feature in the “Voodoo Ray” music video by A Guy Called Gerald—he appears in silhouette alongside Trafford Love. Danny and Trafford met through The Hitman and Her TV show, where they danced as a duo under the name Manchester Method, blending 70s-inspired moves. Though Trafford moved on, Danny continued performing, even jumping into the audience, much to Pete Waterman’s delight.
Danny now works with Global Grooves, a group specializing in carnival-style performances. Over the weekend, he played a character called “Ringmaster”, performing in Oldham and Blackpool. His journey into dance started young—while playing football, people noticed his dribbling looked more like dance moves. At home, he’d put on music and dance until he wore down the carpet. Without any push from others, he embraced dance as a natural form of expression.
Over time, Danny explored various styles, from Soul, Funk, Jazz, and Jazz Funk at Manchester’s Berlin club, to Hip Hop, which led him to teach dance at his youth club in the 80s. He later spent five years at The Dance House, where he taught ABC dance—African, Brazilian, Cuban, and Hip Hop.
Danny has also appeared in music videos and even featured on Blue Peter. He toured with Inner Sense, a 9-piece band that took him to Egypt, Oman, and Kuala Lumpur. One memorable experience was in Yemen, where he jumped into a sand pit mid-performance, only to be whipped by security before they realized he was part of the show! In Kuala Lumpur, he broke through the barriers separating delegates from the public, engaging directly with the cheering audience behind the gates.
For Danny, dance is more than movement—it’s a revolution, an unspoken language of self-expression. Whether dancing in the streets of Manchester or at legendary clubs like The Hacienda, his passion remains unchanged. He recalls heading to the same spot on The Hacienda’s dancefloor, immersing himself in the early House music movement.
His introduction to House music began at Legends, where Greg Wilson played Electro House after years of Soul Funk and Jazz Funk. He remembers the circular dancefloor, where people would step back and watch the best breakdancers perform.
Danny’s journey proves that dance connects people, lifts spirits, and transcends boundaries.
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