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How to plan a flash mob dance


How To Organize A Flash Mob

Updated December 17, 2017 by Staci Lawrence, Founder, Flash Mob America

We’ve been putting on some of the world’s most popular flash mobs since 2009.

Through the years, we’ve learned A LOT about what it takes to bring joy through surprise, spontaneously bringing people together in a public space. Like most events, flash mobs require a lot of careful pre-planning. We’ve created a list of our top three strategies for anyone looking to plan a flash mob of their own.

Apply our Flash Mob Expert tips to ensure your flash mob event is a success!

  1. Plan Ahead.

    2. Choose a date and time that works for the most people. Keep in mind that your volunteers might have to make work or school or babysitting arrangements. Also keep in mind that time of day will have an impact on both your audience and your venue.

    Also, do a little research. Put social network search engines to use! Find other people who are planning a flash mob, or looking for volunteers. Learning from others will help you identify any gaps in your own plan, as well as inspire creativity for your own event!

    Watch videos of flash mobs and take notes. Make lists of what you want, and what you’ll need: Costumes? Coordinated outfits? Props? Technology?

  2. Advertise!

    3. Harness the power of social networks.

    Announce a call for auditions and volunteers online.

    Choose your preferred social media sites where people can find out about your flash mob. Use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to keep people in the loop and direct them to important details like your rehearsals, meeting spots and contact info. Make sure to keep all your details up to date!

  3. Find a Venue

    4. The venue plays a HUGE role in the logistics, access, and the overall feasibility of your flash mob. Ideally, you want to choose a location where a lot of people congregate. Choosing a high-traffic location ensures that you’ll have the largest audience for your performance!

    Make sure you have permission to be there! Venue permits can be pricey, and can require booking well in advance. Having your flash mob broken up after all that hard work is disheartening, so be sure to get the venue details arranged to perfection!

  4. Choose a Song

    5. Finding the perfect venue and choosing the song that will bring people together are not only the two key factors for a successful flash mob, they’re critical to getting people to participate in and observe your flash mob event. You’ll want to choose a song that gets the participants excited and will wow an unsuspecting audience and have them singing along.

    If you’re going to play music, make sure you’re allowed to in your chosen venue or location.

    If the song is not yours, you’ll need permission to share any content that features the song. Are you going to hire a DJ? If so, make sure that person has access to power and space to set up speakers and equipment. If you’re handing music on your own, make sure to bring in a portable speaker. Will there be live musicians? Make sure you have permission and ample space and logistics for the band to perform as well. Also, make sure you consider weather! The weather can have a HUGE impact audibility, and can impact your ability to use technology (wind, rain, snow, etc.).

  5. Recruit Your Crew

    6. One of the key visual elements to a successful flash mob is the amount of participants taking spectators by surprise. You’ll want at least 50 people present. Getting people to volunteer and be a part of your flash mob means asking your family and friends. Tell everyone you know and everyone they know. Call in all of your favors. Don’t know 50 people? Try calling local organizations like recreational groups and student clubs at colleges and invite them to join your flash mob event. You never know who would be willing and able to do a flash mob. The more the merrier—literally.

  6. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse.

    7. Before you can do your live flashmob, you’ll need to teach your volunteers the choreography and make sure you are all as synched as possible. You’ll also need to run through how the event will play out in real time. To do this, you’ll need to plan out and confirm a rehearsal space that will accommodate everyone. Alternatively, find a space to rehearse outside to ensure that everyone knows the dance.

    You’ll also need a choreographer to coordinate the dance for your flashmob. You can’t just freestyle or improvise a dance for your flash mob. It will look like an unorganized mess! If you are going to teach your volunteers yourself, do your best to make the moves accessible to anyone and the choreography will fit the venue and audience.

  7. Communicate ALL of the Details to ALL of the Peoples!

    8. Never assume people “just know.” Detailed, consistent communication is vital to a successful flash mob! Write clear instructions for all of the people who will be involved in your event and make sure they are clear and specific.

    Keeping your participants informed helps ensure a smooth coordination process and enables people to understand how they can participate and be involved. Don’t forget to include important safety, traffic, and parking information to everyone as well!

  8. Document and Share.

    9. Flash mobs are priceless events that draw so many emotions from participants and spectators. You’d be doing a great disservice to all of your hard work and efforts by not recording and capturing the event from start to finish.

    If you can’t hire a professional photographer and videographer to film your flash mob, designate a few trusted friends to capture photos and video of the event. Both you and your guests of honor will want to look back at all of the dancing and amazing reactions. The best way to make a keepsake of the event is to have it digitally documented. That way everyone can cherish the memory forever.

    Once you have the best photos and videos compiled, share them online for the world to enjoy! Add an extra touch and share links to all of the photos and videos to all of your volunteers and participants as well.

    Flash mobs provide an unforgettable experience to participants and spectators alike. These top tips will guide and ease your event planning process. Feeling overwhelmed?

  9. Or, You Can Leave It To Us.

If you want to coordinate a flash mob but don’t know where to begin, leave the planning to us.
We’re the Flash Mob Experts. Contact us today!

 

A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning an Awesome Flash Mob

  • Hubspot Blog
  • HubSpot.com

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    David Guerrera

    Updated:

    Published:

    How to Plan a Flash Mob:

    1. Be creative.
    2. Pick a fun tune.
    3. Learn the moves.
    4. Choose a date, time, and location.
    5. Surprise everyone.
    6. Be a cinematographer.
    7. Upload & promote your masterpiece.

    Flash mobs, when executed well, can be a great way to generate buzz, express your business' creativity, and even garner some media attention and coverage. Want to inject some personality and creativity into your company's marketing strategy? Consider orchestrating a flash mob! Last week, HubSpot employees did just that, dressing up in orange HubSpot track suits, sporting zombie makeup, and taking over the food court at the local mall to dance to the spooky Michael Jackson hit, "Thriller" in our very own Halloween flash mob. Here's a step-by-step guide to planning and executing your own flash mob, using our own experience as an example.

    Step 1: Be Creative

    There’s nothing more exciting than watching or partaking in a surprise flash mob that interrupts people's mundane daily routines. Flash mobs are a great way to stir up attention and create some buzz. Be creative, and think of ways to make your performance unique from previous flash mobs. There needs to be more to your flash mob than just a dance routine to make it stand out. Some flash mobs involve the performers' hidden talents, some singing, theatrics, or getting hundreds of people to stand still for a few minutes. Your flash mob can be flashy, thought provoking, artistic, or even be used as an advertisement.

    Step 2: Pick a Fun Tune

    Pick a song that will catch everyone’s attention. Purchase a loud, portable stereo and cue up your upbeat dance song, classic throwback, or even a holiday related Christmas carol.

    Step 3: Learn the Moves

    Gather a group of your friends and/or coworkers who are willing to participate in the flash mob. Find someone who is an experienced dancer or choreographer who can breakdown the moves for everyone. Practice regularly. The key is to really perfect the routine if you want to impress onlookers.

    Step 4: Choose a Date, Time, and Location

    The best places for flash mobs are large, high-traffic public spaces where people wouldn’t expect something out of the ordinary. Whether you choose to target a local beach, a food court at the mall, or a train station, pick a day and time of the week during the location's busiest hours.

    Step 5: Surprise Everyone

    An important thing to consider is that your performance needs to have the element of surprise. A well-executed flash mob performance should be kept secret up until the moment it begins. Catching your audience off guard is crucial. Make sure you video tape not just your performance, but also everyone’s reaction.

    Step 6: Be a Cinematographer

    Pack your cell phones and some HD video cameras, and capture some high quality video footage. A multi-camera shoot will provide sufficient coverage with wide shots, close-ups, and plenty of reaction shots of unsuspecting viewers. Make sure you have a camera operator that is part of the action and on the same level as the dancers. Have another camera operator shooting a wide/establishing shot from a higher angle looking down on the dancers. Your wide shot will show the scale of your flash mob. THE BIGGER, THE BETTER.

    Step 7: Upload & Promote Your Masterpiece

    Your flash mob may be over, but that doesn't mean you can't milk more from the performance. Edit and share your video on your website, blog, YouTube account, and Facebook page. Tweet links to the video or your post about it on your blog. You can still generate a ton of buzz from people who weren't lucky enough to be present for the live showing. As we said before, staging a flash mob is a great way to generate brand exposure and a ton of buzz. Have fun with it! And check out the final product of our own flash mob below!

    Are you yet motivated to organize your own flash mob?


     

    Topics: Video Marketing

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    How to prepare a dance flash mob yourself

    Flashmob Anton Bakin

    May 24, 2019 Views: 1711

    In order to attract a large number of people and arrange a bright dance flash mob, you need to spend a lot of time preparing. Use our tips to make it easier for yourself and reduce costs to a minimum. We will tell you how to prepare a dance flash mob and surprise everyone with your original idea.

    Stages of preparing for a dance flash mob

    Any event should start with a clear action plan. For a dance flash mob you need:

    • - Come up with a dance. Choose simple movements that are accessible to all participants. Especially if you plan to draw a large crowd.
    • - View previous flash mobs online. This will help you learn from the experience of others and learn something new for your event.
    • - Gather participants. Use all available means: connect friends through social networks, recruit people from an ad, run ads on a website or meeting.
    • Design costumes and props.

    Evaluation of existing flash mobs

    Your event will be a success if you take into account the strengths and weaknesses of already created flash mobs. This is useful for managing people in a group, because synchronization is extremely important in dance. For inspiration, watch YouTube videos: there you will find a huge collection of different flash mobs. And do not forget to collect information from friends and acquaintances who have already held such events.

    Recruitment for dance flash mob

    • - Finding as many people as possible is your main task, so use any means possible:
    1. - Ask friends and acquaintances if they would like to participate.
    2. - Tell your idea to the members of the dance, theatrical, gaming and any other group in which you are a member.
    3. - Try asking around on the street.
    4. - Create a website or group to gather like-minded people on the Internet.
    5. - Register on thematic forums and share information about your idea.

    Flash mob dance rehearsal

    So, first you need to find a place to rehearse. An ideal place for this can be a dance hall, where you can learn the movements in a pleasant environment. But not everyone has the opportunity to find such a comfortable free space. In this case, ask your friends for a closed warehouse or office.

    For productive rehearsals, you need to motivate participants to attend training regularly. Otherwise, your group will not be ready by the date of the flash mob. If you don't know much about dancing yourself, ask a choreographer you know to support your idea and act as a leader.

    Preparing clothes and props for the dance

    For a dance performance, each flashmob participant must have a costume. For example, for a romantic dance, ball gowns and tuxedos would be appropriate, and for a daring street break, loose shorts, pants and T-shirts would be appropriate.

    Choose the color that best suits the dance in your opinion and instruct everyone to choose their clothes. You will need to make sure that no one is left without paraphernalia on the last day. Everyone should come to the final rehearsal already in costumes: you need to check that no little things prevent the participants from moving freely.

    Performance of dance flash mob participants

    The entrance to the stage itself can take place according to any scenario you choose:

    • - Suddenly, music is turned on for passers-by, and dancers appear from the crowd.
    • - A busker starts playing and a lonely girl dances nearby. Gradually, the music becomes more rhythmic, and the others join the dancer.
    • - Flash mobbers start a mock brawl, attracting attention. And as a sign of "reconciliation" arrange a show.

    At the end of the flash mob, the dancers should merge with the crowd and disperse in different directions, as if nothing had happened. This is a mandatory condition that all participants should be warned about.

    Who can take over the flash mob instead of you?

    Are you more interested in watching or dancing in a flash mob than organizing one? In this case, contact professionals who will help you do everything right: realize your plans and create a positive mood for all participants.

    If you need to order a dance flash mob, call the Emotion Workshop agency. We will stage a modern dance, taking into account your wishes and possibilities. We have 5 professional choreographers ready to think over every little thing. We will stage any dance flash mob: from tango to break dance!

    Similar articles:

    How to organize a massive dance flash mob: Kyivstar experience

    Ten years ago, in September 2009, participants in the dance flash mob at the opening of the Oprah Winfrey Show got into the Guinness Book of Records. Then, 21 thousand people danced to the Black Eyed Peas song “I gotta feeling” at the same time. It was the most massive flash mob in the world, the organizer of which, by the way, remained unknown.

    Since then, flash mobs have flooded first TV screens, and now social networks. So, while you are reading this, the dance flash mob #Triangledance is gaining popularity on the Web. To participate, you must try to film a threesome dance in which the partners stand in a circle and simultaneously jump to its center. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have already taken part in the flash mob, including ambulance crews, politicians, teachers and young children.


    And in early March, the first mass dance flashmob took place in Ukraine. A complex choreographic performance was performed simultaneously by 200 dancers, of which 50 participants are the winners of the All-Ukrainian competition "Let's Dance". Together with professional dancers, the winners of the competition got into the final scene of the Ukrainian film of the same name, which premiered on March 21 in all cinemas of the country. Everything that happened during the #Let's Dance flash mob was broadcast live via 4G from Kyivstar in social networks by hundreds of witnesses and participants. The full version of the flashmob can be viewed here.

    We wondered who and why launches such flash mobs and what needs to be done in order to create a truly massive event.

    The organizer of the flash mob #Let's Dance and the partner of the film of the same name, the Kyivstar company, told us about how much time and effort it takes and what technical issues should be taken into account.


    About the organization of the flash mob

    We approached the organization of the #Let's Dance flash mob in exactly the same way as we approached the launch of any other project. Due to the fact that such a production includes complex choreography, it requires extensive preparation. It all took us two months - a fairly short time for a flash mob, which was attended by two hundred people, a quarter of whom are amateurs.

    The preparation took place in three stages: the first was the creation of a composition for Open Kids “Nazavzhdi”, the second was the implementation of the national competition “Let's dance” and the third was the organization of choreography for the flash mob itself. Throughout the preparation, we systematically followed the checkpoints - because of the short time it was important to do everything extremely quickly, clearly and according to plan.

    In order to become a participant in the contest, it was necessary to shoot a dance video for the Open Kids song “Nazavzhdi” and upload it to social networks with the hashtags #want_to_movie, #let's_dance and #kyivstar4g, register on the contest website. The 50 winners were determined by a professional jury, which included the artist and choreographer Zhenya Kot, the protagonist of the film "Let's Dance" Denis Rekonvald, the youth group Open Kids, the actress of the series "School" Liza Vasilenko and young bloggers Two Sisters.


    About participants

    Both professional dancers and amateurs took part in the flashmob. The lion's share of the work lay with the professionals, because everything had to be done quickly. It was professional dancers who created and implemented the production, and amateur guys have already joined and adapted to the choreography. I must say that the newcomers did it in a very short time - it took them only a week to set up the choreography. The youngest participant was 6 years old, and the oldest was 30.

    About the difficulties

    The most difficult moment was the coordination of the participants, because we worked with teenagers. And these are 200 restless, active, bright people. And of course, special attention was paid to the organization of streaming, because several hundred people were broadcasting live at the same time, via the 4G network. But everything turned out great, and we can say for sure that mass broadcasting via Kyivstar 4G is real and simple.

    "Let's Dance" is a film about a young dancer who comes to Kyiv to participate in a big dance tournament. He must win to help his brother raise the necessary money for the operation. The guy must give everything to the fullest in order to bypass strong rivals. But the biggest test is the love he meets on the dance floor. Winning is not so easy. The trailer of the film can be viewed on link .

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