By The Bahamas Weekly News Team
Freeport, Grand Bahama Island - What was likely the very first flash mob to take place in the country of The Bahamas took hundreds by surprise at Count Basie Square in the Port Lucaya Marketplace on Thursday, March 17th as tourists and locals were out in the spirit of not only Spring Break, but St. Patrick's Day.
Flash Mob in Count Basie Square at Port Lucaya on March 17th, 2011 just after 6pm. Photo: The Bahamas Weekly
A group of over 100 persons from all walks of life, ranging from children to grandparents, and who had been practicing for only 4 weeks under the direction of local Grand Bahamian choreography, Julion Collie in a 3 minute dance routine starting with one person and building to the full group. One or two tourists even tried to step in.
According to Wikipedia, a 'flash mob' is a term coined in 2003 to denote a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire. Since 2003 many have taken place all over the world, and one need only Google the term to see many available for viewing on YouTube, etc.
The difficulty with any flash mob is to keep it secret, and in particular on an island - this was not an easy task! Dubbed 'the best known secret' on Grand Bahama, those that knew or found out by surprise experienced a little piece of history. The Count Basie Square was a bustling place with people starting St. Patty's day festivities and with a weigh-in going on with a local fishing derby taking place as well.
The idea was the brainchild of Laurie Tuchel, a resident of Grand Bahama and co-founder of the Grand Bahama Heritage Foundation. Prudence Gallagher, owner of Bandelero was the event co-organizer. The flash mob was directed by Jackie Dack and the film direction was done by Paul Mockler and David Mackey. Although many clips will be sure to be found online by many bystanders in attendance, an official video will be announced soon and will be made available on Youtube.com, TheBahamasWeekly.com, and via other media house websites.
Organizers wish to thank the many flash mob participants who brought a huge sense of enthusiasm and fun to the community of Grand Bahama.
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