Watch: US Man Goes Viral For Breakdancing At Town Hall Before Raising Tax Concerns

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A town hall meeting in New Jersey took an unexpected turn when a local man kicked off his speech with a breakdancing performance, leaving attendees both stunned and amused.

The man, identified as Will Thilly, is running as an independent candidate for the Cranford Township Committee. In a now-viral video, Thilly can be seen approaching the podium but stopping midway to break into an elaborate dance routine. As he twirled and spun, other attendees tried to hold back their laughter.

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After his dance, Thilly shifted gears and began speaking, first casually asking about everyone's weekend and mentioning a recent trip to Mexico, before addressing a serious local issue, rising property taxes, ABC News reported.

“We were told the referendum was going to bring [taxes] up for an average household by around $40, but mine went up by almost $900,” Thilly said.“We were told that was due to the schools, but the school referendum said it would only go up about $400 on an average assessed home.”

He questioned why the tax increase was so steep and asked for clarity on what extra expenses were incurred by the schools that were not disclosed to the public before the vote.

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After delivering his speech, Thilly picked up his papers and water bottle and moonwalked away from the podium in silence.

Mayor Terrence Curran, who was presiding over the meeting, responded with a chuckle, saying,“Thank you, Mr. Thilly. I like the interpretive dance.”

Watch the video here:

The video has since gone viral, drawing thousands of views online. While many social media users were entertained by Thilly's unusual approach, others praised him for creatively drawing attention to important local issues.

A user commented,“Well? Did he accomplish his goal, or did they still increase his taxes?”

Another user wrote,“Now that's what I call getting your point across with style! Love seeing people find creative ways to make their voices heard at local government meetings. Definitely more memorable than the usual public comments.”

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“Talk about a spin on tax protest! If only the government could breakdance its way out of fiscal irresponsibility. Flat taxes, not moonwalking, is the real crowd-pleasers. Let's cut the fat and stop the property tax hike hustle,” the third user wrote.

“I'm dead the only thing that sucked was the guy at the end calling it an interpretive dance,” the fourth wrote on X.

“I like how everyone in the background is trying to hold a serious face and not break out laughing,” the fifth user commented.

According to local reports, this isn't the first time Thilly has taken a non-traditional route to make his point. The genetic researcher has a track record of posting his quirky appearances on Instagram and is running for the committee for the third time.

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