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Wedding season
With the onset of the season for getting hitched, opulent decor and
extravagant couple arrivals will soon rule at sangeets and weddings.
Another fad among Pune's young couples seems to be the upsurge of flash mobs
that not only enhances their shaadi celebrations but also helps break the ice
and involve everyone.
Taking celebrations to the next level
While planning their wedding in 2011, city-based professionals Marsha and
Alvito Fernandes wanted something unique. "We love dancing, so we decided on a
flash mob. But back then, the concept hadn't really picked up at Pune weddings
and it was tricky as we weren't sure how we'd present it," said Marsha. Choosing
the popular I Like to Move it, their trend-setting flash mob took guests by
surprise. "I broke into a Bollywood routine with Alvito pretending to act
surprised. He then joined in, and the verse after saw friends coming in, finally
ending the synchronized sequence with jazz hands," Marsha added. While it
enhanced the Fernandes' celebration, city-based professional Ashish Saldanha
planned a flash mob to surprise his to-be wife. "I wanted to involve my friends
in doing something memorable for Priyanka, and a flash mob fit the bill," said
Ashish. He reminisced how planning it got everyone involved, with one friend
scheduling practices and another helping with choreography. "I had no inkling of
the plan. When it started, I thought the band got the order wrong. But Ashish
continued dancing. And soon people from the crowd joined in. That's when I
figured this was a flash mob. It was the best surprise," Priyanka recalled.
Planning a wedding flash mob is a mean feat
With everyone on a busy schedule today, coordinating a mass-synchronized
dance is difficult. A bungalow in Camp has been abuzz the past week with
youngsters getting their steps right for a flash mob that their friend Savio
Pinto is planning to surprise his fiance with, at their December wedding. "With
over 20 people on board the top-secret mission, I created a chat group to plan
practices. We've even roped in some of my fiance's friends from Hyderabad. To
ensure no one's left behind with practice, we record videos each time we dance
and share them on the group," Savio added. "The chat group has been a boon. With
videos, it's easier for us to perfect our steps in another city," said Kiara
D'Souza from the Hyderabad party.
The hottest dance steps
A lot of thought goes behind the choice of songs. Savio and his friend Priya
Antoinette finalized a list before she began the choreography. "We chose songs
associated with the couple's childhood. Savio loves football, so we chose Ricky
Martin's Cup of Life. Likewise, we picked Vengaboys' Shala la, because his
fiance choreographed the song during her childhood," said Priya. Ashish chose
The Proclaimers' 500 Miles as it was his wife's favourite. Meanwhile, choosing
their track came from the need to have a crazy time, for the Fernandes'. "The
typical Thriller and Walk like an Egyptian steps added to the craze," said
Marsha. Priya feels one must choose simple steps considering all kinds of
dancers and the steps need to be synced. Speaking about themed flash mobs, Vivek
Saiby, a wedding photographer added, "A Hawaiian theme sangeet I covered had
everyone wearing garlands and dancing to Bollywood songs."
Pune is well acquainted with flash mobs for a cause
Besides entertaining and adding to the fun, flash mobs have also been used to
drive social messages home. A little after the flash mob at Chhatrapati Shivaji
Terminus, Mumbai, went viral online, Pune's JM Road was rocked by a flash mob in
December 2011, where youth danced on Jai Ho to spread awareness about the delay
in mercy pleas of convicted criminals. A flash mob was also performed a year ago
at Bremen Chowk, Aundh as part of the 'save tekdi' campaign. Likewise, students
have also been taking to flash mobs to promote their college fests and
events.
The most popular dance songs this wedding season
City-based choreographer, Mayur Jitsingh, informed us about the most popular
songs likely to be chosen for dance acts this wedding season. He said, "Those
from the legendary romantic flicks like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge continue to
rule the roost. Latest tracks like Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
and Nachan Farrate are hot picks among the younger generation, while evergreen
songs like Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen continue to be chosen by the elderly members to
shake a leg to."
