They say you should dance like no one’s watching, but for Preston Leatherman, it’s something closer to dancing like no one can hear the music.

Eight years ago the aspiring singer came up with a concept called “Dancing With An iPod In Public” and he’s posted four videos that have all gone viral.

There’s the Chicago edition, in which he grooves to Phil Collins’ “You Can’t Hurry Love,” the Valentine’s Day version where you can find him dancing in the Cool Spring Galleria Mall in Franklin, Tennessee to Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dream,” and a Christmas-themed video that shows him hitting up a couple of malls in Tennessee while dancing to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” – that last one has topped 2.5 million views on YouTube.

But it all began in 2011 inside a Target store at the Memorial City Mall in Houston, Texas where he filmed his very first video.

So what makes them so popular?

Leatherman explains:

“I had this idea to go to a public place (in this case…the local shopping mall) and dance like no one’s business….the only catch is, there is an iPod in my ear, so no one else around me can hear the music.”

That’s right – to everyone around him, Leatherman just looks like he’s busting a move to complete silence. And the reactions of those nearby range from deeply amused to not even remotely amused.

In his inaugural video, he chose “Footloose,” by Kenny Loggins. And he has big shoes to fill there since it’s the theme song to the film of the same name starring Kevin Bacon, who really has some moves. But as he says in his caption:

“Heads turned. Jaws Dropped. Hilarity Ensued.”

And it’s no surprise that the video went viral and now has over 2.1 million views – Leatherman has some very athletic moves in his dance arsenal. He’s not just bopping around, he’s going for a full-on workout.

In other words, he cut footloose.

While some people ignored him, most watched on in amusement (or perhaps embarrassment) as he danced – and some even joined in!

After all, he’s really getting into it. Presumably, people understand that he’s not just crazy if someone is standing there filming him.

Apparently, the food court is the place to go if you want to find people to dance with you.

Now everybody’s cutting footloose (despite not being able to hear the song).

The al fresco dining area is not the right place for these antics.

Never disturb ladies who lunch – they will not acknowledge your presence.

While there have been many imitators, no one has ever topped the success of Leatherman’s videos.

These days, Leatherman can be found behind the camera as a videographer and photographer, especially of musicians (and he’s still making his own music as well). But chances are he’ll always remember where he started.

So what would you do if you saw someone dancing in public without any music?

Be sure to scroll down below to see the video that started it all.

Doesn’t it make you want to dance, just a little?

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Source: ABC News, Preston Leatherman via YouTube