After entertaining motorists on Allen Parkway with his rollerblading dance moves for some 15 years now, Montrose character and veritable Houston institution Juan Carlos the Dancing Rollerblader is sharing his shimmy with the rest of the country on America’s Got Talent. On a special Sunday episode of NBC’s talent show, Juan Carlos will attempt to dazzle judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Mel B. and Howard Stern with the disco moves that have delighted countless Houstonians over the years.
Juan Carlos began his very public routine as a means to lose weight: ”I started roller-blade dancing 15 years ago because I was gaining a lot of weight and I thought this was the thing I really like to do to help me lose weight,” he explains in an interview. “I started to perform in Montrose as it’s near my house and it’s where people go to exercise. When I first started, I went by a car with six beautiful girls who saw me and they said ‘ooh look at him’ and so I started shaking it and I’ve never stopped!”
And people can’t seem to get enough of his dancing. A few years ago, a YouTube user uploaded a video of Juan Carlos doing his thing to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now.” As of today, the video has almost 800,000 views on Youtube
After being encouraged by various people over the years to audition for America’s Got Talent, Juan Carlos finally tried his luck at the Houston auditions this past winter. While he can’t reveal whether the judges moved him to the next round or not, he describes the audition experience as “one of the best of [his] life”: “I’m a freestyle performer so I just put on my red catsuit with red vinyl and turned to audition … The crowd were awesome – the stage was spectacular and you have to remember that AGT is an amazing production – it feels great to be on that stage. I could see some faces in the audience and I could see they knew a star had fallen on to the stage. Heidi Klum and Mel B. had their mouths open. They were astonished with my entrance and they were so gorgeous.”
If he wins the judges over with his performance, Juan Carlos will move one step closer to an act in Las Vegas and a $1 million prize. When asked what a Juan Carlos the Dancing Rollerblader show in Las Vegas would look like, the hair stylist/film-student refuses to think in such small terms: “[It would have] lots of sparkle and smiles all over the world. They say what happens to Vegas stays in Vegas, but in this case it’s totally different. I will be famous all over the world! I will be in Vegas but once people see me perform they will be talking about me all over the world.”
Juan Carlos’ audition will air on America’s Got Talent at 8 p.m. this Sunday on NBC.
You can join fellow Juan Carlos fans at MKT Bar at Phoenicia Specialty Foods Downtown for an America’s Got Talent viewing party this Sunday from 6:30-9, and meet the famous Dancing Rollerblader in person. MKT Bar is downtown at 1001 Austin Street.
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