Flash-mob phenomenon hits Penn State

Photo by Julie A. Brink Roughly 30 people participated in an Undercover Improv flash-mob freeze event at the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus over the lunch hour. For more photos, click on the image above.

University Park, Pa. -- Hundreds of people rush through the HUB-Robeson Center food court every day, but on Tuesday (April 29) the lunchtime hustle and bustle came to a sudden halt as about 30 people froze in place for five minutes in a flash-mob group performance by "Undercover Improv."

Sophomore Mike Kaiserian created the group in the spirit of "Improv Everywhere," a New York City group whose stated mission is to create "organized fun."

"I decided to do this after watching the 'Grand Central Freeze' video on YouTube, in which over 200 people in a group called Improv Everywhere froze in place in Grand Central Station for five minutes," Kaiserian said. "I've always wanted to be able to participate in something like that, and it seemed like the only way to do that would be to organize it myself. I talked to a few friends about it, they said that they would participate, and it went from there."

Crowd reaction ranged from none to puzzlement, to those who tried to disrupt the frozen students. "I was frozen scratching my head, and this guy kept getting in my face and trying to make me laugh," said sophomore Michael Reszka. "I had sunglasses on, so I just closed my eyes."

Sophomore Josh Lederman was bent over picking up garbage when he froze. "Someone poked my shoulder, and said to somebody that I must be part of some performing arts class. When I didn't move, he shrugged and walked away."

"People were puzzled. They were poking at us," said sophomore Ethan Chiang. Chiang was stationed on the balcony, near the piano, so he could see what the freeze looked like from above. "There was one person on a cell phone with a balloon, one taking off her hoodie, two frozen in conversation, it was great."

Freshman Alysa Helvig was the one taking off her hoodie. "There was a guy holding onto my shoulder so he could signal me when it was time to freeze, but then he just started walking with me. I didn't know where I was, but when we were done and I finished taking off my hoodie I saw we were in the middle of everything," she said.

Junior Marvin Evans was one of four people frozen on the main staircase. "People were trying to move between us, asking 'What's going on?' One person said, 'I don't know, I think they're all zombies.' It was hilarious."

Nadia Hasan and Bryan Getz were sitting in the HUB-Robeson Center giving out information about the Senior Sendoff when the Undercover Improv freeze began. "We were just curious about what kind of project was going on," Hasan said. "It's so great. I have to be here anyway so it's entertainment."

Entertainment and fun are the only agendas for the group. "I want to make it clear that we're not trying to make a point," Kaiserian said. "We're not an advocacy organization trying to call attention to an issue. We're not trying to in any way inconvenience people. We're really just trying to have a good time. Because really, who wouldn't want to be in a flash mob? And is there anything more fun than seeing huge numbers of people totally confused?"
   
Kaiserian set up the entire event through a secret Facebook group. "It was a perfect way to get people involved who I don't personally know without the whole earth finding out about it. Then, it allowed easy communication to and from all of the group members," he said.

The group agreed that HUB-Robeson Center food court was the perfect place for the group to stage its event. "The HUB always seemed like the best place to do it for a few reasons," Kaiserian said. "Being inside, we don't have to worry about the weather. There is a large variety of people there, and there is guaranteed to be a crowd around lunch. It also is a central location where everyone can get to easily."

While this particular group was small, it did achieve its goal of having fun and making people take notice of what they were doing.

"People saw it, and that's kind of cool," Reszka said.

For photos, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1660 online.