Jérôme Bel for F/T

Here's one of the very cool flash mobs that's taken place as part of the F/T art festival.  Choreographed by Jérôme Bel, I love that this dance is made up of movements easy enough for regular people to execute, while hitting a sweet spot between ridiculous, fun, and joyful.  

Yoyogi circle dance at dusk...

Yesterday's protest had an infectious spontaneity! Niji Iro Ninjas joined a group of break dancers in the circular paved area at the entrance of Yoyogi Park, made a large circle and watched our friends take turns free-styling to whatever came up! Admittedly, this wasn't entirely what we had planned - not quite a full-on spectacle (that is something we need to work on) - but we rallied anyway and managed to welcome fine newcomers including a high school student who leapt into the circle and threw some shapes and a friendly Finn tourist, nicknamed Pie Chart, who pulled out his salt-liquorice Salmiakki Liquor - 32% proof - and shared it with us! Our man Isaac did a top job of getting everyone fired up with his fabulous moves and the break dancers were so generous in extending their groove to our gathering.

The whole thing had a kind of innocence about it, like an episode of Fame from the 80s transmuted to 21st century Nihon. (The whole NYC park fantasy dance thing very much fits Yoyogi somehow! if you know what I mean - Yoyogi Tower has that NYC Chrysler Building vibe about it.)

A boom box, break dancers, dusk, hip hop, disco, gundam, Salmiakki, friends = nearly the best soul tonic there is pretty much! As my friend Nina beautifully put it 'yesterday's [dance protest] sounds like it was hitting that important place of innocence and joy that is always more radical than is apparent'.

Let's do it again, and soon.

High Jinx in Shibuya with an excited group of young zombies protesting the dance ban...

Yesterday's Zombie Prom was a blast! The costumes and the larger number of participants helped to make a more determined ripple in the lively pond that is Saturday-night Shibuya.  The dancing zombies and funky spooks met in Yoyogi Park and at the Hachiko dog, practiced moves, put on their faces and generally psyched up before setting off in a raggle-taggle parade down Sentaa Gai, handing out fliers and Let's Dance Petitions...

Thanks to all participants for an excellent awareness building parade and let's meet again soon. In the meantime don't forget to print off the Let's Dance petition, sign it, get your friends to sign it and pop it in the post. Have your say!

Zombie Prom

Darkness Falls Across The Land 


The Midnite Hour Is Close At Hand 


Creatures Crawl In Search Of Blood 


To Terrorize Y'awl's Neighbourhood 


And Whosoever Shall Be Found 


Without The Soul For Getting Down 


Must Stand And Face The Hounds Of Hell 


And Rot Inside A Corpse's Shell 


The Foulest Stench Is In The Air 


The Funk Of Forty Thousand Years 


And Grizzy Ghouls From Every Tomb 


Are Closing In To Seal Your Doom 


And Though You Fight To Stay Alive 


Your Body Starts To Shiver 


For No Mere Mortal Can Resist 


The Evil Of The...

Tonight, 10PM at Shibuya Hachiko exit....

xxx