Using DANCE to bring people together!!!!!! :)

Hi Everyone!!!! My name is Leah; I'm 20 and from the USA. I am a dancer, and just had one of the most beautiful dance experiences of my life!!!! Yesterday at Fountain Square, we used spontaneous dance as a way to brighten the community and bring people together. It was pure joy.
I thought this would be the perfect thing to share on MyPeace.TV.
Yaron, thank you so much for putting this AMAZING site together!!!!!!!!

Here is the link to the video of the dance experience from Cincinnati.com, and the article that was written about it! I hope it inspires any of you who dance to do something similar in YOUR community; this was incredible!

Love and peace- Leah

VIDEO: Fountain Square Dance Mob, "Bop Til You Drop", Cinci OH

Dance breaks out on Fountain Square

By John Johnston • jjohnston@enquirer.com
• August 14, 2009

A typical Friday afternoon on Fountain Square suddenly morphed into something more.

Just after 12:30 p.m., as the song "Bop 'Til You Drop" by the Nylons blared from the square's loud speakers, a few people emerged from the lunchtime crowd and began dancing.

More joined in. Then more, until about 150 people - some wearing suits, some in T-shirts and jeans - were moving to the music in unison on the southern edge of the square.Then as suddenly as it began, it was over. The song ended. The dancers dispersed. Fountain Square was back to normal.

Why try to surprise people with a mid-day dance number?

"Just for fun," said Linda Kean, 53, of Symmes Township, one of the organizers.

She choreographed the routine with friends Connie Bergstein Dow, 58, of Wyoming; Maureen Teller, 52, of Milford; and Renee McCafferty, 54, of Newport. All are former Contemporary Dance Theater dancers.

They were inspired by a March 23 video shot in the train station in Antwerp, Belgium. It was a publicity stunt for a reality show, but that hasn't hurt its popularity; the video has been viewed more than 9 million times on YouTube.
It shows people going about their business until the public address system begins piping in the voice of Julie Andrews singing the "Do Re Mi" song from "The Sound of Music." A few people start dancing, and they are soon joined by a couple hundred more.

"We've heard of people watching that video from the train station, and some say they cried," Kean said. "People are in the moment, and it's joyful. You forget about everything else going on and it makes you want to get up and dance."

She and her friends hoped to create a similarly joyful feeling - if ever so briefly - on Fountain Square.

So they got permission from Fountain Square Management Group, which oversees programs on the square. They recruited participants - mostly non-dancers, a mix of women, men and children - then held a few rehearsals (in space donated by five organizations) and hoped for good weather Friday.

Some people on the square had been tipped off by participants and knew what was coming. Others were caught by surprise, including Kevin Quilty, Kelli Steffen and Tammy Thomas, who were enjoying lunch together when the dancing started.

"I thought it was pretty cool," said Quilty, 46, of Loveland.

"It made me feel good. I want to know how to do (the dance)," added Steffen, 42, of Florence.

"We were waiting for more," said Thomas, 44, of Fort Thomas.

She might get her wish!

Dow said the big group hopes to do more dancing, maybe in conjunction with a charitable cause. The goal again would be to have fun, and "use dance to bring people together."

Some other comments from unsuspecting bystanders:

"In a world filled to the brim with seriousness, commitments, & deadlines, this brief interlude in the normal day was undoubtedly a great shot of natural medicine for many downtowners!"

"That was absolutely beautiful. I was brought to tears from the joy of it.. It was amazing. Please do it again."