From a Conversation to a Flashmob and Beyond

yamanalu
Mar 14
3 min read

When I was thinking about my final piece for the Masters in Choreography, I asked composer Daniel if he knew some interesting spaces in Dresden with a unique acoustic. He mentioned two: The Hygiene Museum and the Dresden-Neustadt train station. I remember thinking, a Flashmob would be super cool in the train station. Time passed and I finally decided to do something about the idea of a Flash Mob. I talked to some people but they didn't really know who to contact. So I set the idea aside once more.

It was during lunch with a ballet enthusiast and friend of mine, Olaf, that we were talking about current and future projects. I told him, "You know what I'd love to do? I'd love to do a Flashmob at the train station." Well, it turns out I was sharing my dream with the right person. He knew someone, and before I knew it, he had made some calls and sent some emails on my behalf. The people from Deutsche Bahn were more than open to this kind of idea. Olaf suggested a date: March 1st, for the 125th Anniversary of Deutsche Bahn. With a date set, I was able to put the creative side of the project in motion.

I contacted Svetlana Smertin, the director of the Rhythmic department at the Music University. She was happy to collaborate with me and invite the composition students to create the music for the Flashmob: Matthieu Donner and Valeriia Lysenko. Swetlana was happy to do some body percussion sequences to use the unique acoustic of the train station, and I created the choreography and a tutorial to spread the word. There were some obstacles here and there, (you cannot imagine all the paper work and permits one needs to have a proper PA in the train station!) but I was determined — this idea had been in my head for more than two years. Olaf invited the newspaper, and Frau Wachs from Deutsche Bahn organized a photographer to document the Flashmob.

It was a beautiful event. We had members of the University, members of Tango Offen und Bunt, members of ArtRose, and Neustadt Raum participate. It was colorful as it should be, and one could feel the energy of the train station rise.

Now, one part you might not know is that I did all of this without receiving any fee. I knew this was an investment of my time and my energy — and it was! Shortly after, my friend and colleague Aurora, contacted me to do the Flashmob once more to celebrate World Dance Day. Then Heike, contacted me to use the Flashmob for an event on the first of April. Furthermore, the Flashmob generated a lot of buzz in the newspaper and on social media.

This experience reminded me of the 333 story from the book Chicken Soup for the Soul, a story we study in Diamond Mind Consulting to remind us that we live in an orderly universe and the good you put out, must come back.

If you are in Dresden, you are warmly invited to take part in one or both of the upcoming Flashmobs: