A video in 2018 capturing Salif Gueye‘s gravity-defying performance of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” at the Place Igor Stravinsky in Paris catapulted him to viral fame. Six years on, the street dancer has more than 5 million followers on Instagram and TikTok and has moonwalked in ad campaigns for Lacoste and Christian Louboutin. Home is Suresnes, a Paris suburb that feels like, as Gueye puts it, “a village where people live in solidarity with each other.” But he still spends plenty of time in the city, where he dances with friends and films his videos. In the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, Gueye shares his tips to get your heart racing in the French capital.
Bust a move
Nightlife in Paris for Gueye means hitting the city’s discotheques. A favorite is Le Rouge, an aptly named spot in Pigalle dressed in red lights and scarlet velvet. “You can really have fun here because the setting transports you,” he says. He also loves the convivial crowd at L’Arc Paris, by the Arc de Triomphe, and Le Matignon, a restaurant by day and a club by night near the Champs-Élysées.
Dinner and a show
Even Gueye’s dinner recs are dance-inspired: Bonnie, a restaurant with 360-degree views of the city atop the hotel SO/ Paris, opens its club space—think Studio 54 on the Right Bank—from Wednesdays to Saturdays. He also suggests Armonia for fine French gastronomy. But what he loves best before a night out on the town is the Italian fare at Siena, just off the Place Vendôme.
Till you drop
“You can just walk around Le Marais and score the most amazing vintage jacket in a shop without knowing where you found it,” Gueye says. Two of the district’s best boutiques are The Vintage Society and The Room. But for specific pieces, Gueye heads to the legendary department store Galeries Lafayette behind the Palais Garnier.
Additional reporting by Rebecca Cope
This article appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
