SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Seattle flash mob weekend
Apr 9, 2010, 2:52 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
SATURDAY UPDATE: The organizer tells me he’s expecting around 1,000 “Gleeks” to participate. 4/10/9:05
Hundreds of people will celebrate the return of Glee with spontaneous-looking-well-rehearsed-dancing in the streets of Seattle this weekend.
It’s a Glee flash mob!
If you’re not familiar with Glee, it’s a TV show that focuses on a high school glee club called “New Directions” at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. The show, which airs on Fox, has solid ratings and a loyal fan base. The new season starts next week.
Flash Mobs are just cool. One minute people are walking around city sidewalks or hanging out in a transit station, and the next thing you know they’re all dancing to the same music and choreography. Some flash mobs do other things, like freezing in place or having a big pillow fight.
My favorite flash mob scene took place in Antwerp, Belgium. I dare you not to smile when you see this. With more than 16 million views on YouTube in the past year, this is pure joy.
The same people who coordinated a Michael Jackson flash mob in Seattle last August are now getting ready for the Glee event tomorrow at three different, secret locations. Event producer Egan Orion says flash mobs are really all about music and dance, and that’s the essence of Glee.
“One thing I love about Glee is that it really encourages people to be themselves, no matter what others think about them,” Orion says. “The majority of our dancers aren’t dancers at all, just people who want to do something fun and silly with other people, and they do their best with the choreography. There are kids and grandmothers and all shapes and sizes who participate in the mob, as you’ll see from the video.”
They’ll be dancing to these songs: Don’t Stop Believin’; Proud Mary; Gold Digger; Somebody to Love.
To be a part of it, you have to make it to at least one of the rehearsals. Your last chance is tonight, with a rehearsal from 6-9, Century Ballroom of the Odd Fellows Building on Capitol Hill. Here’s a sneak peak from their first rehearsal:
Everyone who’s practiced will meet at Cal Anderson Park, Saturday morning at 10. After that? Dancers take to the streets and perform at three different places in Seattle. They never say where they’ll be ahead of time. That’s what leads to awe-inspired reactions from people who happen upon the scene, but don’t know what’s going on.
On my bucket list – be a part of a flash mob.
