Paper short abstract:

Flash mob dance, one-off collective dance events organised in public spaces through mobile phone and internet communication, has become a transnational space for the expression of global crisis and issues, but also a space enabling global consumer capitalism to extend further its tentacles.

Paper long abstract:

Flash mob dance, one-off collective dance events organised in public spaces through mobile phone and internet communication, is, I suggest, typical of contemporary global dance practice in that it is polymorph and therefore adaptable to local contexts, but maintains certain features which make it a recognisable genre. After mapping the emergence of flash mob dance in the first years of the 21st century, I shall consider how it has become a transnational space for the expression of global crisis and issues, but also a space enabling global consumer capitalism to extend further its tentacles. In July and October 2009, Powershift, annual youth summit for climate change policy, held flash dances in Australia and UK, while in April a 100 'Single ladies' flash mob danced in Picadilly Circus to publicise the singer Beyonce's free Trident gig.