Around 100 people spontaneously broke into dance at Botany Town Centre on Sunday.
To the surprise and delight of onlookers, a few people began dancing to the song "Greased Lightning" in the middle of the busy shopping centre. They were soon joined by more and more people until soon there were about 100 dancers.
But it wasn't quite as spontaneous as it looked - the participants were South Seas students, staff and friends, and the 'Flash Mob' event had been organised by Film & Television Production student Stijn Van de Velde.
"A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual, interesting act for a brief time, then disperse," explains Stijn. "It had always been my dream to organise one. Now I am studying at South Seas so I had my chance."
Stijn choreographed the event carefully to make it look spontaneous. With the assistance of Producer Rhannon Hadlow and Assistant Director Angus Emmerson, he planned every detail of the event.
"When the song started to play three people, pretending to be tourists, suddenly started dancing. As the song went on, more and more people joined in, so at the end a whole group were suddenly dancing to the same song. When the song ended every dancer went their own way," he explains. "The whole thing was over quickly and it was a beautiful surprise for onlookers."
The flash mob took three minutes, and of course could only be done once. Participants rehearsed at South Seas in the days leading up to the live event, to make sure they had all their moves worked out.
"I was really nervous when the time came," says Stijn. "We had the final meeting at the shopping centre, then everyone had to just wander around pretending we didn't know each other so the public wouldn't have a clue what was about to happen. When the music came on it was really loud and the adrenaline was pumping."
The flash mob was filmed by seven cameras, some hidden and some roving around catching the reactions of the surprised public. Many shoppers also whipped out their cell phones to record the strange thing that was happening around them.
Stijn, a primary school teacher from Belgium, came to New Zealand this year to study Film & Television production at South Seas. Although specialising in editing, he has come to love every aspect of the industry. When he gets home he will forge a new career for himself. "I love teaching but I really love this industry as well," he explains. "I will need to find a new career that combines everything I love!"
The New Zealand Herald published a photo and article about the flash mob and it also featured on TVNZ's Breakfast show. Stijn has since been interviewed by New Idea magazine for an article about the event.
Some raw video footage, filmed by Botany staff member Desiree Clark, can be viewed on YouTube (see below).
"My final, edited version will be on YouTube soon," says Stijn. "But obviously I'm studying editing so I need to edit the footage to my own standards before I can release it!"
He says he has some wonderful shots, and he especially loves the reaction shots of surprised shoppers.
Stijn would like to thank his production team, especially Angus and Rhannon, and all the staff, students and friends who participated. "I can't believe we did it," he says. "I am really proud, and even my parents in Belgium are impressed! It was definitely worth it and I may even consider doing something like this again when I get back home."
Registered as a private training establishment by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority under the provisions of the Education Act 1989 and its subsequent amendments.
