"Flash mob" preps for Harvard 375th anniversary dance

The Harvard 375th “flash mob” danced to James Brown as they rehearsed for the Friday night gala.

Dancers rehearse for performance as part of a "flash mob" in the University's 375th anniversary celebration on October 14.

From an undergraduate sporting red hip-hop-style sneakers to an administrator in a white dress shirt and tie, the Harvard 375th anniversary “flash mob” of dancers got down to James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” today at noon outside the Science Center as they rehearsed for their big moment in the spotlight this Friday evening. The “Flash Mob” is sure to be one of the highlights of an evening filled with performances, desserts, and dancing for a crowd of thousands of revelers. 

Led by the quick-footed Henry “Kidspin” Kasdon, a teacher at the Harvard Dance Center, about 30 members of the Harvard community learned roughly two minutes of choreography that they will perform in front of their colleagues and peers in the middle of Harvard Yard at the 375th birthday gala. “I’m in a dance crew and we do some pretty sophisticated choreography,” said Kasdon, who created the flash-mob dance along with dance program director Jill Johnson about a month ago. “Then I teach classes and I try to make [things] a little easier. But with a flash mob that has to prep a dance in a short amount of time, I basically think, ‘I have to come up with something my mom would be able to do.’ " He said the volunteer dancers “all looked so great today, even the little walk they did. It looked so cool.”

Teach yourself the “flash mob” 375 dance with this YouTube instruction video

You might also like

Can We Disagree Better? A Harvard Professor Has Tips.

Kennedy School professor of public policy Julia Minson on how to improve political conversations

Öberg to Lead Harvard Faculty Recruitment and Retention

The astrochemist will become senior vice provost for faculty affairs this summer.

The Celts in Art and Imagination

A new exhibition at the Harvard Art Museums traces 2,500 years of Celtic art.

Most popular

Inside Harvard’s Most Egalitarian School

The Extension School is open to everyone. Expect to work—hard.

“The Grand Wake for Harvard Indifference”

At noon on November 16, 1938, some 500 Harvard and Radcliffe students jammed Emerson Hall to express their outrage at Kristallnacht, as the...

How a Harvard Hockey Legend Became a Needlepoint Artist

Joe Bertagna’s retirement project recreates figures from Boston sports history.

Explore More From Current Issue

A lively street scene at night with people in colorful costumes dancing joyfully.

Rabbi, Drag Queen, Film Star

Sabbath Queen, a new documentary, follows one man’s quest to make Judaism more expansive.

A person climbs a curved ladder against a colorful background and four vertical ladders.

Harvard’s Productivity Trap

What happened to doing things for the sake of enjoyment?