An hour before sunset on the idyllic Beach Road the traffic stopped all of a sudden.
Couples suddenly burst on the Promenade, twirling and shimmying to musical notes that are often heard on the streets of Cuba.
Though it is not uncommon to chance upon dance and music events on the Promenade on weekends, particularly near the Gandhi Thidal what surprised onlookers was the uncommon moves as 50 people danced the Rueda de Casino, also known as Cuban salsa.
ADVERTISEMENT
Organised by Salsa4funIndia, the salsa flash-mob was announced ahead, being a multi-city event, explained Kash Dolma, who put together the performance.
While the 50 and odd performers danced away near the Beach, there were dancers performing similar moves in as many as 40 countries around the globe.
Usually flash-mobs are built around the element of surprise. But the performance on Saturday was less spontaneous and more rehearsed. Much of the audience arrived early on the spot, some even half an hour before. As a youth in the crowd commented, “This is one flash-mob were everyone is waiting for to start.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The word was spread around at least two month ahead of the event and classes organised to get the participants in tandem with each other. “The main purpose to have this event in Puducherry is to introduce the multicultural community here to a new style of dancing and a new culture it is associated with,” said Kash.
Dancers changed partners with every move, in rhythm with the music. They first danced to a Cuban song, while the second had a heavy Bhangra touch and was joined in by more dancers.
While the crowd cheered and snapped the moment, for the dancers, it was ten minutes of sheer enjoyment.
“I have been learning the Cuban salsa for close to two years. Being a part of this was simply fun,” said Divya, a participant.