Doe, a Deer, a Female Deer...

[sidhe_etain]

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My Facebook friend, Aurora, posted this video yesterday, and as I watched it, it actually made me tear up a little bit. Because, as I mentioned to her, we could all use more spontaneous acts of joy and frivolity like this in today's frightened and frightening, tense and stressful times.

Comments

[roaming]

It's wonderfully cheering and frivolous and I love it!

But it's hardly "spontaneous." Too clearly choreographed, with too many people doing the same movements in time to eachother. Has to be rehearshed. My guess is a school drama group staging what those of us who grew up in the 60's once knew as a "guerilla street theatre" or "a Happening." :-)

[sidhe_etain]

Apparently the term is a "flash mob"

By spontaneous, I more meant the people *not* choreographed...you can see there are some people along the edges who start doing the movements too...it's so happy they can't help but join in a little bit! :)

[roaming]

wonderful! Didn't see that. (Flash mob. Ah, so that's what you kids are calling it these days. Good to know so I can shave 30 years off my age, at least in conversation!)

[sidhe_etain]

Hey, I didn't know it either until I looked at the YouTube comments! :) If you google the term, it can bring up some other great videos, but this one is the best.

[laurieannhaus]

that is really amazing! Truly! What is that all about? Is it is some sort of group that spontaneously takes places over with song and dance? Was it just a one time thing?

[mellyjc]

I'm not sure if it's related, but maybe ImprovEverywhere is branching out. I love them. (They did something similar breaking into musical in a food court, among many other cool things. If you like this, check them out :) )

[sidhe_etain]

When I googled "flash mob" last night, I saw an awesome one where that group (Improv Everywhere) all went to Grand Central Station and froze in place for 5 minutes. Amazing! Less "make you happy" than dancing, but it still makes everyone feel like they've seen something unique...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

[laurieannhaus]

okay I figured out what is so beautiful about this.

It is really easy to get caught up in your daily life knowing what to expect, how to classify others quickly etc..

What is so great is that they had adults and kids acting each like they are going on a trip and slowly but surely they integrated into the dance. That means that the guy standing next to you who originally looked normal suddenly jumped in and started dancing and all of your preprejiduce of your day and of other people dropped away.

It actually gives the feeling of "anything is possible" and shows that exteriors (business men in suits going on a trip etc..) can be deceiving and you cannot tell what is going on by the outer shell.

Perhaps I am reading too much into this..

[sidhe_etain]

Not at all! I think you're completely right! And you'll notice at some points that people will be standing around gawking with other people, and next thing you know the group has expanded to include the people you were just gawking with! It's a complete transformation of the expected, and I think that transformation itself is what encourages people *not* involved in the actual flash mob (apparently that's the term) to try to join in too. Seeing people of all ages, all walks of life, doing the dance makes you both smile and want to at least TRY to do the movements.

In response to your question above, I don't know that much about this particular flash mob, but apparently there was an ad for T Mobile in which an entire London subway did it, and this was done after that (though honestly I like this one better, the other one is fun to see too)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

[lanofaylin]

Oddly it had the smae effect on me...now had I been there here is what probably would have happened. 1. I would be so uber exicted because it is my secret desire to one day be involved in a spontaneous song and dance that others join in on. (I also want to have a moment where me and my freinds and walking in unison to some really cool song) 2. I would have participated and possibly tired to lead this dance therfore proving myself to be an idiot.....BUT I WOULD HAVE HAD SOME HELLA FUN IN THE PROCESS.

[sidhe_etain]

I'm not much of a dancer, but I'd probably have a huge smile on my face, and be clapping and singing along on the sidelines.

[_siddal_]

That's fantastic! Love it!

[sidhe_etain]

It not only brought a smile to my face, but every time I think about it again, I smile again!