Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

Flash mobs never get old

A while back there was supposed to be a flash mob ninja fight at the mall in Kennewick, but the mall security found out about the event and put a stop to it.

Why? There was fear someone would get hurt or people wouldn't understand what was going on.

While I don't believe there would have been no injuries, I'm pretty sure it would have been a spectacular show for a small-town shopping center.

Not all flash mobs are violent. In fact, they can be quite adorable. For instance, people dancing to "The Sound of Music" in a Belgian train station is quite innocent. I especially like the techno remix towards the middle:

However, some can be quite confusing. One group called Improv Everywhere once had people dress up in blue shirts and kaki pants and walk around a Best Buy store. Customers kept walking up to them, thinking they were employees. Eventually, they were asked to leave the premises.

One flash mob that would be a bit awkward was put on by Improv in London, titled "No Pants Subway." I believe the title explains itself. Some of these people brought out their good undies for this...

Another store-based flash mob involved people performing "Hammer Time" in shiny gold parachute pants. The choreography was tight, but the screaming and running participants probably didn't make people feel safe inside that store.

One of the most well-known flash mobs doesn't take place in public. In fact, most people have only seen it through the Internet. The "Thriller" reenactment performed by the inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines has more than 70 million views on YouTube. Much like Antonio Banderas tried to prove in his film Take the Lead, dancing is a form of rehabilitation.

Byron Garcia knew this and teaches more than 1,500 CPDRC inmates how to dance, which gained them worldwide recognition, all the while giving the inmates a positive outlet. These convicted murderers, rapists, drug traffickers all willingly come together and learn these dance moves in an effort to reform themselves. Click here to find out more. Here, the guys perform to a Michael Jackson mash-up, properly titled "Dancing inmates are "Dangerous.'"

On a side-note, notice their standard issue footwear: Converse Chuck Taylors. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, as of March 3, 2007, the world's largest collection of Converse Shoes is the 680 pairs held by Joshua Mueller of Lakewood, Washington.

The inmates perform songs by Soulja Boy, Flo Rida and even Jai Ho from the film Slumdog Millionaire for their families and friends who come to visit them at the compound. Lately, the inmates have been on a Korean music kick, performing 2ne1's "Fire" and Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry."