This weekend in Toronto, I attended the Subway Dance Party. No, this is not a new marketing ploy developed by the sandwich company to compete with hosting birthday parties at McDonalds – this was a prank, of sorts, organized by Improv Toronto. The goal of the mission was to gather a group of people, have them inconspicuously board a subway, give them a new dance space and give commuters something to smile about. The dance party is staggered and supposed to look spontaneous, so just as the subway starts moving, one or two ‘agents’ begin dancing by themselves, and gradually, those involved in the dance party start to join in. The progression is such that by half way through the ride all participants are boogieing. Of course we all had our own mp3 devices, so to the average commuter who’s not in on the prank, the dance party that materializes is both completely random and completely silent – all you can hear is the shuffling of feet and the occasional cheer. After one ride is completed, participants get off the subway, cross platforms, and danced their way back.
The beauty of the event was that it was completely organized over Facebook. Nearly 25,000 people from across Ontario were invited over Facebook, and the organizers saw a successful turn out with a few hundred people ready to dance like crazy. Personally, as a commuter I know all too well just how drab a few minutes on the subway can be. So of course the moment I heard that there was a group of people wanting to spice things up – not only for themselves, but for the general public – I was all too eager to jump on that train (so to speak).
The Subway Dance Party demonstrates not only just how easy it is to capture an active audience through a social networking site, but also, how quickly a community can form. The event page is still abuzz with participants uploading photos and videos, and of course, people eager to get the wheels in motion for the next impromptu dance party.
http://www.facebook.com/video/?oid=116233020396 – view videos from the dance party
