Flash Mob - On the bus... again!

I was on the bus today (everything happens to me on buses) coming home from work and in my glazed reverie I heard Celine Dion playing softly on the radio up the front. Now, I am quite the Celine Dion fan, having choreographed many dramatic scenes to her music in my tween days.

As I sat there listening to the soundtrack of my overly dramatic childhood, I could hear the lady behind me singing softly to the song under her breath, a few moments later the man next to me started to whistle mindlessly to the music while he held his daughter. Could it be, is it possible, was I about to be in a flash mob sing along?

Yes, that is exactly where my mind went straight away. And so reveals my supreme joy of synchronized things... Dancing, singing, diving, water ballet you name it; it's much better synchronized, trust me! 

Now for those of you who don't know what a flash mob is... WELL, do you have a lot to learn!

Source: MultiCultClassics

A flash mob is basically a group of people who assemble all of a sudden in a public place. They then proceed to do something as a large group like dance, sing, applaud, or any other out of place act. Usually the whole thing has been organised and the word has been spread through social networking sites like Fackbook and Twitter. I think the whole thing is simply fantastic!


A quick research about flash mobbing however returned some interesting facts about why they were started. The first flash mob was organised by the senior editor of Harper's Bazaar, Bill Wasik as a social experiment. In May 2003 multiple groups gathered in multiple places around Manhattan in an attempt by Wasik to make fun of hipsters and their want to be part of the next big thing, resulting in conformity.

The funniest, I believe, of these was the group of 100 who gathered in Macy's department store around one rug. They convinced the shop assistants they lived in a commune and were shopping for a 'love rug', explaining all the gatherers were there because they only made purchase decisions as a group. Imagine!

Wasik's idea has certainly evolved from the idea it originally was, with thousands of flash mobs taking place all over the world, from dancing and silent discos to an international 'Pillow Fight', the largest flash mob ever, which took place at the same time in over 20 cities. Since then flash mobbing has been used for a whole lot of reasons, from advertising to a tribute for Michael Jackson.

International Pillow Fight Day - Melbourne

I don't care if these people are insisting we use acid as toothpaste, they make me smile and I love them. I'm sure it has at one point in everyone's life been a fantasy to break out in synchronized dance, and I mean really, if it hasn't, what is wrong with you?

So, did my whole bus suddenly break out in the harmonious tunes of My Heart Will Go On? Sadly no, but they definitely did in my head.

One of the most famous flash mobbing video's on YouTube took place in Antwerp's Central Station, where over 200 people danced to a song Do Re Mi from the The Sound of Music. 

I hope this makes you smile too!