Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
A video showing a young boy and a woman dancing on stage is going viral on social media platforms. Those sharing the claim say that it is a 30-year-old video of French President Emmanuel Macron shaking a leg with his wife Brigitte, who is around 24 years elder to him. Newschecker found the claim to be untrue. The viral clip does not feature Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron, nor is it 30 years old.
Several Twitter users shared the dance footage alleging not only that it showed a young Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, it also alleges that she was his teacher who eventually became his wife. The exact caption can be seen below.
“This is a 30 year old Television clip. This video is interesting not only because of the dance sequence, but because this young boy is the current president of France, & the Lady dancer, his teacher …. is his current wife …Interesting!!! Isn’t it?”
Archived versions of such tweets can be seen here, here, here and here.
The footage is also going viral on Facebook.
Links to such posts can be found here, here, here and here.
Also Read: No, This Video Doesn’t Show Ukrainian President And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’
Fact Check/Verification
A Yandex reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video led us to an Instagram post by user @xjakemx, dated August 20, 2016. Carrying an edited version of the viral video, the post was captioned “lol I suck at editing but…I kinda like this. @jakemonreal33 @dance10jenna #sytycd #dance #bringjakeback.”
On scanning through the Instagram account of Jake Monreal, who was tagged in the post by @xjakemx, we found that the viral clip was shared by July 22, 2016 with the caption, “Just can’t wait to dance with @dance10jenna again! Tune in on Mondays, 8pm on Fox! @danceonfox #sytycd #the next generation #team jake #teamjenna #teamjennaandjake”
A comparison between the boy seen in the viral video with the pictures posted on Moneral’s Instagram account helped us confirm that they both were the same person.
Monreal’s account featured several dance videos and pictures of the duo, wherein the woman seen in the viral clip has been identified as Jenna. Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
Following this, we conducted a keyword search for “Jake,” “Jenna” & “dance” on Google yielded multiple videos featuring the duo. One YouTube video by SYTYCD Videos, dated September 6, 2017, carried a longer footage of the viral clip with the title ‘So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation – Jenna and Jake’s Ballroom Performance.’
Around 1:25 minutes into the YouTube video, we spotted a screen displaying the text, “So You Think You Can Dance, The Next Generation” at the left side of the stage. Additionally, after the performance is concluded the camera pans onto a panel of judges, sitting behind a table displaying the same text, who addressed the duo as Jake and Jenna.
A still from their performance was also uploaded on Getty Images with the caption, “ Top 10 contestant Jake Monreal and all-star Jenna Johnson perform a Cha Cha routine to “Toca Toca (Radio Edit)” choreographed by Jean Marc Genereux on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airing Monday, July 11 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.” The date of creation of the image has been listed as July 11, 2016.
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition reality show featuring dancers showcasing their talents and skills. The series has so far rolled out 17 seasons. The duo seen in the viral clip are Jake and Jenna, the participants of season 13 of the dance reality show.
Conclusion
Neither the viral clip features French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, nor is it 30-year-old. The video actually shows Jake and Jenna, the participants of a reality show called So You Think You Can Dance and dates back to 2016.
Result: False
Sources
Instagram Post By @xjakemx, Dated August 20, 2016
Instagram Post By @jakemonreal33, Dated July 22, 2016
YouTube Video By SYTYCD Videos, Dated September 6, 2017
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
