340 Mormon Teens Surprise Local Mall Audience
After weeks of practicing at a local chapel in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the big show night was finally here at the Kaleidoscope Center in Mission Viejo. 340 teens, ages 14-18, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) arrived in carpools ready to try out their version of a flashmob in front of an audience. (A flashmob is a dance that appears to begin spontaneously with one dancer and other mall participants seemingly join in.) Parents and close friends of the teens lined the balcony of the mall with iphones, cameras and video cameras to get the best vantage point for the flashmob. Employees of Riptide and Yogurtland kept asking families when the show was going to start. The employees didn’t want to miss the show but knew they would probably miss it while serving their customers.
Carson McCusker, a teen participating from Coto de Caza, said, “This was a phenomenal opportunity to bond and connect with my friends.” The flashmob started with what looked like 12 dancers and ended with 340 teens joining in. The song was a remix of several songs, including: “Shout” (Isley Brothers), “Do You Love Me?” (The Contours,) “Baby” (Justin Bieber,) “Eye of the Tiger” (Survivor,) “Thriller” (Michael Jackson,) and “Shurfin, USA” (Beach Boys.) The Feist family from Foothill Ranch commented, “It looked like the whole event was good business for Kaleidoscope. On the way out we saw what looked like 60 people waiting in line for yogurt at Yogurtland. We of course had to stop and have some ourselves.” As Liz Forrest, Stake Young Women President from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints concluded, “It was our goal to provide a positive, unexpected, truly fun and joyful experience for the youth involved and for all who saw this enthusiastic, inspiring performance by our outstanding young people. The event was a great success.”
WHO? Youth, ages 14-18 years, from the Santa Margarita Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 340 youth attend Capistrano Valley, Tesoro, Mission Viejo, Santa Margarita, Trabuco Hills, and El Toro High Schools.
WHAT? 3 ½ minute Flashmob Dance. The music and dance movements will be wholesome, fun and uplifting.
WHEN? Friday, April 29 at about 8:30pm.
WHERE? Kaleidoscope Center: 27741 Crown Valley Pkwy Mission Viejo, CA 92691
WHY? To create a fun wholesome experience for the youth and the audience.
