I would give anything to be in the middle of a city when suddenly everyone starts dancing to the same beat. Surreal but powerful - I'm sure the first few moments of that experience consist of feelings you'll never forget. What's going on? Am I imagining things? Is everyone losing their minds? Am I dreaming?
I bet it feels like a divine intervention - magical and overwhelming. However long it takes you to figure out what is actually going on must unfold in titillating slow motion. At first the hairs on your arms raise and then you get a funny feeling of deja-vu. Hyper-aware and full of adrenaline, you are forced to let go of all of your preconceived notions about what should or what is is supposed to happen next.
"Ordinarily" and "usually" are words that have no use in this context. The only choice you have is to simply go with the flow and enjoy it. A reminder that life is precious and things can change completely at the drop of a hat. Maybe the drop of a hat was literally the signal that set one of these dance parties off! Wouldn't that be cheeky...
It got me wondering...was it the timing of Michael Jackson's death along with the relativity new status of social media that came together to allow such serendipitous artistic brilliance? Or did the phenomenon of flash mobs already exist in other forms?
According to Wikipedia, or as I call it "the new Bible," the first flash mob was created in Manhattan in May 2003, by Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper's Magazine. But his first attempt was unsuccessful after the targeted retail store was tipped off about the plan (don't know who narced). Darn!
During Wasik's second attempt, however, he avoided such problems by sending participants to four separate preliminary staging areas – at various Manhattan bars – where they received further instructions about the ultimate event and location just before the event began. And they also got to get a little tipsy first, which I'm sure made the execution even more fun! The Flash Mob was successful this time, occurring on June 3, 2003, at Macy's department store. So many fun things happen at Macy's, don't they?
More than 130 people converged upon the ninth floor of the store, gathering around an expensive rug. Anyone who was approached by a sales assistant was advised to say that the gatherers lived together in a warehouse on the outskirts of New York, that they were shopping for a "love rug," and that they only made purchase-decisions as a group.
Please with himself, Wasik then planned for 200 people to flood the lobby and mezzanine of the Hyatt hotel in synchronized applause for about 15 seconds. Then he orchestrated an invasion of a shoe boutique in SoHo by participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip. Awesome.
When probed, Wasik claimed that he created Flash Mobs as a social experiment designed to poke fun at hipsters and to highlight the cultural atmosphere of conformity and of wanting to be an insider or part of "the next big thing."
The Vancover Sun later reported, quite astutely, "It may have backfired on him ... [Wasik] may instead have ended up giving conformity a vehicle that allowed it to appear nonconforming." Irony!!
In another interview, Wasik said "the mobs started as a kind of playful social experiment meant to encourage spontaneity and big gatherings to temporarily take over commercial and public areas simply to show that they could."
Sounds a little adolescent doesn't it? Also sounds a little pointless. A little Warhol-esque if you ask me - i.e. "let's see how far I can fool someone into believing (or even worshiping) my bullshit."
Well others took the concept and ran with it - got a little more creative and playful. In my opinion nothing that is fun or makes you momentarily step out of your routine is ever pointless. Here is how the flash mob phenomenon unfolded from there:
2006 Silent Disco:
At various London Underground stations, people gathered with their portable music devices (headphones!), and at a set time began dancing to their music. Though no one was arrested, it was reported that the London authorities pledged to counter future disruption of the underground system. Well I don't know if you heard, but police don't even have guns in London. Since 2006, there have been several more flash mobs in the London Underground, including a few silent discos comparable in size to the first one.
2008 Worldwide Pillow Fight Day:
Over 25 cities around the globe participated in the first international flash mob. According to The Wall Street Journal, more than 5,000 participated in New York City, overtaking London's 2006 Silent Disco gathering as the largest recorded flash mob to date. Word spread via social networking sites, including Facebook, Myspace, private blogs, personal websites, word of mouth, text messaging and so on. Participating cities included Atlanta, Beirut, Boston, Budapest, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dublin, Houston, Huntsville, London, Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne, Shanghai, Stockholm, Paris, Szombathy, Vancover, Zurich, Washington D.C. and more.
Fun!!!
Alright guys... If you were going to stage a flash mob, what would be the theme?
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