Flash Mob @ Assembly Hall
Flash Mob's reality dance show formula makes for easy entertainment
The last few years have seen an increasing interest in dance, with TV shows like Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance gaining huge popularity. Cashing in on this phenomenon, Gary Lloyd has put together Flash Mob, a show involving a sort of pick’n’mix of dance styles and featuring stars from programmes like Got To Dance and Move it Like Michael Jackson.
Part variety show, part playground dance-off, Flash Mob involves an array of dance groups treating the audience to a series of diverse performances in styles including hip hop, Irish dance, contemporary and Latin. There are also some comedic moments breaking up the dance performances, with three of the male dancers squaring up to each other with their most impressive tricks at one point.
In general, the performances are what you’d expect from this sort of show – glitzy and slick, with lots of teeth. There were particularly enjoyable turns from Irish dancing duo Brosena and solo performer Tommy Franzén, who provided the most interesting piece of the showcase with a performance that melded elements of breakdance, contemporary and the traditional Indian dance form, kathak.
It’s a peculiar fact about humans that they enjoy witnessing individuals from one profession try their hand at another; this is the most satisfying thing about Flash Mob – the moments where the audience gets to see a hip hop dancer try their hand at a jeté, or an Irish dancer enliven their routine with some contemporary gestures. The result of this remixing of dance styles is frothy, high-spirited entertainment.