Santa was not the only one to arrive at the Wenatchee Valley Mall on Black Friday. Mingled in among shoppers was a silent crowd of volunteers all with the same mission...to have fun.
At 10:00AM a crowd of over sixty United Way volunteers, all sporting LIVE UNITED t-shirts, burst into a choreographed dance routine to bring awareness to people that when we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. United Way executive director Alan Walker approached Marie West, Wenatchee High School Apple-Ettes Dance Team Coach, about a month ago to choreograph a dance routine and then teach volunteers the moves, show up at the Wenatchee Valley Mall on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and perform the routine in front of unsuspecting holiday shoppers.
Enthusiastically Marie agreed. Not only did Marie agree, but her entire dance team all wanted to be involved, recruit more people and be a part of creating the routine. And that is how the United Way Flash Mob came to be. The first practice drew over 60 people, all by word of mouth, who were willing to give up three evenings to learn a dance routine, and to show up at the Wenatchee Valley Mall on possibly the busiest day of the year to perform what would appear to be an impromptu act. Volunteers devoted about six hours to learning the routine; all for a 3 and a half minute dance.
Sounds easy enough...
Behind the scenes Marie and her team spent countless hours creating a routine that would be easy to learn, but still flow with the chosen music - 'Beautiful Day' by U2. Volunteers had to be recruited, matching shirts ordered, music arranged, someone would have to film the performance, and of course a location in Wenatchee where many people would be gathered. It all came together and on Black Friday, in the middle of the hustle and bustle in the Wenatchee Valley Mall, shoppers were given a chance to stop and enjoy a little magic.
