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Flash mob dancers to detractors: Beat it
They drew flak online for poor execution and lack of spontaneity
By Liew Hanqing
August 06, 2009
FLAMED BY NETIZENS: Miss Jasmine Yap, lead dancer of the flash mob dance, has responded to negative posts. TNP PICTURE: CHOO CHWEE HUA
THEY put their hearts into their dance moves, grooving to the music of the late King of Pop.
Like others in Sweden and France had done recently, a group of 70 Singaporeans gathered to dance to Michael Jackson's Beat It last Thursday at VivoCity.
But unlike their foreign counterparts who have been praised for their dance moves, the Singapore dancers have drawn flak from netizens who watched videos of their performance on video-sharing site YouTube.
The videos, which have attracted more than 12,000 views so far, have been fodder for online flamers; many of whom criticised the flash mob for poor execution and a lack of spontaneity.
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble, after discussion, at a public place to perform a planned action together before dispersing. The VivoCity flash mob was organised by Golden Village and Flash Mob VivoCity, a recently-formed Facebook group.
One netizen, who posted a comment on YouTube, described the flash mob as 'a terrible performance'.
'Please do not call this a Michael Jackson tribute,' the netizen wrote.
Another said the Singapore flash mob was 'the worst attempt' he had seen. 'It was uncoordinated, uninspired, downright hilarious. If your attempts were to make MJ flip in his grave, you've succeeded beyond all expectations,' the netizen wrote.
Others pointed out the exact points in the video where the lead dancer missed her dance steps.
A netizen wrote: 'Being a lead, you should (dance) nicely. The guy behind her looked lost because she missed her steps.'
Others felt that the event should not even be considered a flash mob.
Wrote one netizen: 'Why won't people understand? (They're) getting all excited over nothing. This is a live performance at most.'
Added another: 'If permission is asked before carrying out the activity, it's not a flash mob. If an announcement is made telling the public to gather around for the activity, it's not a flash mob.
'There can be no flash mobs in Singapore, because the police/security will step in and disperse everyone. Spontaneity? Ha!'
Participants in the VivoCity flash mob told The New Paper they are aware they are being flamed.
Miss Jasmine Yap, 19, the lead dancer at the event, said she had responded to some negative posts on an online forum where the event was being criticised.
She said: 'I feel people shouldn't be so narrow-minded. The dance was meant to be a tribute to Michael Jackson, so we followed the exact dance moves which he did, and people said we have no originality and that we were repeating our steps. We weren't.'
Jasmine, a member of Foreign Bodies, a dance group at Nanyang Polytechnic, said that she felt netizens were too quick to criticise.
Why so worked up?
'What we did was a social dance. I don't understand why people have to get so worked up about it,' she said.
Agreeing, another participant, Mr Nicholas Sim, 22, a sales associate, said he felt netizens had to put things in perspective.
'The dance was meant to be a tribute, involving non-professional dancers from all walks of life,' he said.
'It was not meant to be a performance showcase.'
But not all comments were discouraging.
Wrote one netizen: 'I love it when people do this. It's a great way of honouring him.'
Another added: 'Can we have one more session please? I would love to join in.'
Ms Ching Su Yin, marketing manager of Golden Village Multiplex, the event's organiser, said: 'Everyone is entitled to their opinions.
'The flash mob was done in the spirit of fun and, most importantly, the participants and spectators enjoyed themselves.'
Flash mob dancers to detractors: Beat it
They drew flak online for poor execution and lack of spontaneity
By Liew Hanqing
August 06, 2009
FLAMED BY NETIZENS: Miss Jasmine Yap, lead dancer of the flash mob dance, has responded to negative posts. TNP PICTURE: CHOO CHWEE HUA
THEY put their hearts into their dance moves, grooving to the music of the late King of Pop.
Like others in Sweden and France had done recently, a group of 70 Singaporeans gathered to dance to Michael Jackson's Beat It last Thursday at VivoCity.
But unlike their foreign counterparts who have been praised for their dance moves, the Singapore dancers have drawn flak from netizens who watched videos of their performance on video-sharing site YouTube.
The videos, which have attracted more than 12,000 views so far, have been fodder for online flamers; many of whom criticised the flash mob for poor execution and a lack of spontaneity.
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble, after discussion, at a public place to perform a planned action together before dispersing. The VivoCity flash mob was organised by Golden Village and Flash Mob VivoCity, a recently-formed Facebook group.
One netizen, who posted a comment on YouTube, described the flash mob as 'a terrible performance'.
'Please do not call this a Michael Jackson tribute,' the netizen wrote.
Another said the Singapore flash mob was 'the worst attempt' he had seen. 'It was uncoordinated, uninspired, downright hilarious. If your attempts were to make MJ flip in his grave, you've succeeded beyond all expectations,' the netizen wrote.
Others pointed out the exact points in the video where the lead dancer missed her dance steps.
A netizen wrote: 'Being a lead, you should (dance) nicely. The guy behind her looked lost because she missed her steps.'
Others felt that the event should not even be considered a flash mob.
Wrote one netizen: 'Why won't people understand? (They're) getting all excited over nothing. This is a live performance at most.'
Added another: 'If permission is asked before carrying out the activity, it's not a flash mob. If an announcement is made telling the public to gather around for the activity, it's not a flash mob.
'There can be no flash mobs in Singapore, because the police/security will step in and disperse everyone. Spontaneity? Ha!'
Participants in the VivoCity flash mob told The New Paper they are aware they are being flamed.
Miss Jasmine Yap, 19, the lead dancer at the event, said she had responded to some negative posts on an online forum where the event was being criticised.
She said: 'I feel people shouldn't be so narrow-minded. The dance was meant to be a tribute to Michael Jackson, so we followed the exact dance moves which he did, and people said we have no originality and that we were repeating our steps. We weren't.'
Jasmine, a member of Foreign Bodies, a dance group at Nanyang Polytechnic, said that she felt netizens were too quick to criticise.
Why so worked up?
'What we did was a social dance. I don't understand why people have to get so worked up about it,' she said.
Agreeing, another participant, Mr Nicholas Sim, 22, a sales associate, said he felt netizens had to put things in perspective.
'The dance was meant to be a tribute, involving non-professional dancers from all walks of life,' he said.
'It was not meant to be a performance showcase.'
But not all comments were discouraging.
Wrote one netizen: 'I love it when people do this. It's a great way of honouring him.'
Another added: 'Can we have one more session please? I would love to join in.'
Ms Ching Su Yin, marketing manager of Golden Village Multiplex, the event's organiser, said: 'Everyone is entitled to their opinions.
'The flash mob was done in the spirit of fun and, most importantly, the participants and spectators enjoyed themselves.'
