Dance for a cause

After drawing attention at a mall, ActOne and team are set to take Karachi by storm with their dance moves.

KARACHI: While crowds bustled into the mall and people continued to trudge along their shopping sprees, it seemed like just another regular day at Forum shopping mall when suddenly a boy in a black tee shirt took to the mall by storm with his hip-hop dance moves. The next few minutes were a rare sight and what started off as an individual groove ended up becoming a group of 15 people who danced their hearts out in front of everyone at the mall. It was a matter of seconds, before the entire slot of dancers was surrounded by an avid circle of spectators.

The short dance routine was a mere teaser to the actual event, a flash mob which will take place today (Satrday) at the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture (IVS). The flash mob has been organised by the ActOne Centre for arts and wellness and it will be the first of its kind to take place in Karachi.

The event is a progressive stage out where participants will be taught a fun dance routine by the ActOne instructors in an IVS auditorium and after a two-hour vigorous rehearsal, participants will then perform on campus grounds for a final show which will also be covered as a documentary.

“A flash mob is when a large number of people get together at a place and they all do the same dance, something like what took place when the Black Eyed Peas performed for Oprah Winfrey in their concert. It’s really fun and creates a lot of energy amongst the participants,” said Joshinder Chaggar, the choreographer of the flash mob.

“The most important thing is that we need lots of people to participate for this to be successful, that’s the idea of the mob. All the participants will be taught a simple five-minute routine on the song ‘Time of Your Life’ by the Black Eyed Peas. After a two-hour rehearsal, we will all perform it together. The performance will then be recorded and uploaded on YouTube,” said Chaggar.

Chaggar, popularly known as Josh, remains optimistic about the event because she believes that the flash mob is not just a dance exercise, it’s a celebration of unity.

“The point is not to dance but it is to watch a huge number of people doing the same thing, that is why we want a lot of people to show up. The more the people, the better it looks and apart from that, when the whole flash mob will be recorded and uploaded on YouTube, it will help promote a better image of Pakistan altogether,” explained Chaggar.

The organisers are expecting around 500 people or more to show up. The tickets are priced at Rs400 which include a two-hour dance workshop which will then be followed up by the flash mob itself. All the proceeds from the event will go towards charity.

The teaser of the flash mob managed to draw attention at a mall but teaching a dance routine to so many amateurs in such a short period of time is something only time will tell.

“So many people dancing in unison is so exciting and it creates fantastic positive energy. It’s guaranteed to boost your mood. For all those who have not heard of the flash mob before, check it out on YouTube. Once you watch it, you’ll realise how phenomenal the experience actually is,” said the organising team.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2011.