If you’ve spent any real time walking central Paris in the past few years, there’s a real chance you’ve already met him without knowing it: a man on an electric skateboard, a speaker in one hand and a suitcase in the other, pulling strangers into a dance in the middle of the Trocadéro or along the Seine.
He calls himself Le Transporteur de Bonheur — the Happiness Carrier — and by day he’s a professional choreographer at the Opéra Garnier, working on the immersive show Arsène Lupin et le secret de l’opéra. By free time, since 2021, he’s been turning Paris sidewalks into impromptu dance floors, entirely for free, and has built an audience of roughly half a million people on Instagram in the process.
His real name is Femi Akhano. Born in Benin, he moved to Paris to dance professionally before deciding the theater wasn’t the only stage worth having. Locals Insider asked him to tell us, in his own words, how a night at the Opéra turned into a habit of dancing with strangers across an entire city — and what Paris looks like from inside that habit.
How It Started: A Speaker, a Street, and One Person Who Came Over
I arrived in Paris with a dream: to make a living from my passion. I’m a professional choreographer and dancer, and I was lucky enough to dance for several years in Paris’s greatest theaters. The stage taught me a great deal, but one day I felt the need to go even further.
I wanted to take dance out of the theaters and make it accessible to everyone. Paris has become my biggest stage. Here, every street, every square, every monument can become a space for sharing. It was in this city that the Transporteur de Bonheur was born.
I remember the first time perfectly. I simply set up my speaker in the street and started dancing. One person came over, then another, then a whole group. Within minutes, strangers were laughing and dancing together.
“At that moment, I realized that dance could bring together people who would never otherwise have spoken to one another. It was on that day that the Happiness Carrier was truly born.”
Where the Energy Comes From
My energy comes from people. When I see a child overcome their shyness, an adult rediscover their inner child, or a family dancing together, I tell myself that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
Today, thanks to social media, my videos are getting millions of people around the world dancing. But what touches me most is when someone says to me: “Thanks to you, I’ve found my smile again.”
Happiness is contagious. If one person dares to dance, it inspires another to do the same.
Music Was Always Part of It
Music has always been a part of me. My songs are an extension of what I do on the street. They’re designed to bring people together, get them dancing, and spread positive energy.
I want to keep creating music that makes people want to move, smile, and come together.
“If my songs can accompany the Flash Bonheur all over the world, then I’ll have succeeded in my mission.”
Not Everyone Understands, and That’s Fine
When you work on the streets, you inevitably come across people who don’t always understand what you’re doing. But they’re very much in the minority.
I prefer to focus on the thousands of smiles, the hugs, the tears of joy, the children running toward me, and all those people who leave feeling re-energized.
I always respond with a smile. Happiness is stronger than anything.
What Paris Means to Me
Paris is much more than just a city. It’s the city where my dream came true. It was here that I moved from theaters to the streets, and discovered that you can get a whole city dancing.
Today, Paris has become the playground of the Transporteur de Bonheur. Through my videos, millions of people are discovering a capital that dances, smiles, and brings people together.
Where to Find Me
I don’t have a fixed stage. My stage is Paris.
You might bump into me at the Trocadéro, the Opéra, the Louvre, on the banks of the Seine, in the Marais, or in any corner of the capital. The whole point of the Happiness Carrier is the element of surprise.
“I love seeing tourists or Parisians stop for a few minutes… then leave with a memory they’ll cherish for the rest of their lives.”
These days, I meet people from all over the world who tell me they were hoping to bump into me during their stay in Paris. It’s a huge honor.
My Paris
My Paris is all about the people. I love the banks of the Seine, the Opéra, the Louvre, Montmartre, the Trocadéro… but what I love most of all is seeing these places transform into spaces for sharing.
I want to show that people don’t just come to Paris to visit monuments. They come to experience an emotion. They come to dance with strangers. They come to take home a memory.
“If you ever come to Paris, I hope our paths will cross. Because there’ll always be a place for dance… and for happiness.”
Follow Femi The Scorpion on Instagram, where he shares videos of his street performances across Paris and beyond.
