Chico gets flash-mobbed!

Puzzled shoppers laughed, gawked, pointed, and—in some cases—spontaneously joined in as a group of people suddenly froze into various poses in the middle of the street at last week’s Thursday Night Market.

Like statues, one couple held each other in an embrace, while others stood as if a spell had been cast upon them mid-conversation. Some observers walked away from the frozen people, a little unnerved. After five minutes, the frozen people unfroze and wordlessly departed by way of various routes.

Chico had been flash-mobbed.

This “Freeze”—a type of flash mob—took place in the Third and Broadway intersection at precisely 7:45 p.m. It was the second event by a group calling itself Chico Flashmob, and members say more will follow—including a Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance they’re rehearsing for a nationwide flash mob.

A flash mob entails a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action (improvisational or rehearsed) for a brief time, and then quickly disperse. The term flash mob generally applies only to gatherings organized through telecommunications, social media or viral e-mails.

According to Wikipedia, Bill Wasik, a senior editor for Harper’s magazine, created flash mobs as a social experiment designed to poke fun at hipsters and to highlight the cultural atmosphere of conformity and of wanting to be an insider or part of “the next big thing.”

YouTube videos include a variety of flash mobs that have occurred world-wide. Besides the “Thriller” dance, Chico Flashmob aims to carry out an “Oration” and a “12 Days of Christmas” in upcoming months.

A widely known New York City-based flash mob, Improv Everywhere, causes “scenes of chaos and joy in public places,” according to its Web site. Created in August 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed more than 85 “missions” involving thousands of “undercover agents” (i.e., flash mobbers). Many of their videos are on YouTube.

Chico Flashmob emerged within a Butte College public-speaking class last spring. Instructor Jodi Rives Meier shared flash-mob videos with her classes, and her night class students said, “We should do this!” Rives Meier encouraged her students to pursue their new passion. Chico Flashmob was born.

The first Chico Flashmob unfolded July 16 at the Thursday Night Market when the group staged a “Looking Point.” At a pre-determined time, they paused, looked up, pointed, and exclaimed, “Look! Look at it!”

In fact, they were looking at nothing but sky.

But that didn’t deter a significant number of shoppers from stopping to join the flash mobbers in their upward gazing and pointing. “It was really awesome—the whole intersection was full of people looking up,” said flash mobber Miranda Strisower. “We had sorority girls pulling out their cameras and taking pictures of nothing!”

Another onlooker, she said, screamed, “I see it! I see it!” Some people who joined the Looking Point, she added, were trying to explain to others in the intersection what they had (ostensibly) seen.

A flash mob is a fun way of getting a community involved, Rives Meier explained, as well as a way of “shaking up social norms a little bit, in a safe way.” She emphasized all Chico Flashmob events include law-abiding practices and common courtesy. Before and after flash-mob events, Chico Flashmob holds briefings to organize and de-briefings to share what they’ve learned.

At a practice for the upcoming “Thriller” dance last Wednesday on the basketball courts at Marsh Junior High School, choreographer and teacher Strisower showed flash mobbers, garbed in casual summerwear, how to shake their groove thing as they learned to dance in Michael Jackson’s inimitable style. About eight people (a small turnout, as many members of the group were out of town) learned to shimmy, lunge and zombie-walk. “We want to elongate ourselves as much as possible here—and leeeean!” Strisower explained, as she demonstrated a move.

Although the asphalt emanated heat, the dancers worked hard, trickles of sweat running down their faces as they mastered the new moves, readying themselves for the “Jackson attack” slated for October.

(For more information, check Chico Flashmob on Facebook or contact the author.)