AMSTERDAM — The show must go on… even from the grave!
A pole dancer from the couple’s own Red Light District nightclub delivered a jaw-dropping, gravity-defying performance right between their two coffins during their joint funeral, and the viral video is blowing up the internet all over again.
The longtime Wallen nightclub owners got the ultimate personalized sendoff roughly a year and a half ago. The husband, who died back in 1993, had his remains exhumed so he and his wife could share one last party together after she passed.
Funeral director Iede Hoorn set up a pole smack in the middle of the hall, positioned between the flower-covered caskets. A dancer from the couple’s former club then climbed aboard and went to work, spinning, flipping upside down, and putting on a full athletic routine set to Queen’s “The Show Must Go On.”
The roughly 39-second clip shows the performer in skimpy black attire hanging, twisting, and owning the pole as mourners sit nearby amid photos of the beaming couple and elaborate floral arrangements.
Relatives made it clear: this wasn’t meant to shock anyone. It was a loving tribute to the fun-loving pair who spent years running a successful nightclub in Amsterdam’s notorious De Wallen district.
“This pole dance was not intended to shock, but was a loving tribute to these people,” family members said.
Hoorn, who runs the funeral business with his husband Chris, admitted he was nervous but followed the family’s wishes to the letter.“It was extraordinary, but it fit them perfectly,” he told Dutch media. “This can only happen in the Netherlands.”
The video, first shared on Hoorn’s Instagram, has racked up millions of views worldwide in just days, sparking a mix of shock, laughter, and admiration online. Some called it “iconic.” Others were simply speechless at the sight of the dancer flipping above the caskets.
Hoorn hopes the clip helps break taboos around death and funerals.
“Every funeral should be as unique as the person it honors,” he said, pointing to other personalized services he’s arranged, from dancing processions to intimate gatherings with wine and bitterballen.
For this Red Light couple, their final act was pure showbiz: flashy, unapologetic, and impossible to forget.
The show must go on, indeed.
