My Angry Mob Flash Mob Philosophy
How does the energy we bring to change-making shape its effectiveness?
Nov 18, 2025
The world is changing.
Sometimes we feel like change needs to be serious, solemn, or even angry. Words like 'fight' and 'resistance' are commonly used to drive social or political change.
As a dancer, I feel the momentum of those words which has led to my Angry Mob vs Flash Mob philosophy. Let me paint a picture.
Let’s say you’re walking down the street and you come upon an intersection.
To your left is a mob of protesters. They’re fired up, demanding change, chanting:
WHAT DO WE WANT? Fill in the Blank
WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!!
Take a moment to observe what feeling that scene is conjuring up in your body. Here are some adjectives to consider. Note: the exercise is not to assign these words to the group of people; it’s about how your body feels.
hopeful
nervous
tense
grateful
inspired
optimistic
apprehensive
anxious
passionate
worried
relaxed
stressed
energized
tired
curious
After you’ve had a moment to take that scene in, you notice some music to your right and look down the road in the other direction, where you see a flash mob of people dancing. They’ve incorporated song and dance to help convey their powerful message, which needs to be more than just heard - it needs to be felt!
Take a moment to observe what feeling that scene is conjuring up in your body. Look at the above list of adjectives again.
As you stand at this intersection, looking right and left, you have the choice of which direction to go. Do you want to join the angry mob or the flash mob?
What I’d like to offer you here is both a metaphor and a call to action.
The next time you are promoting a cause, posting to social media, or disagreeing with someone, consider whether you want to bring Angry Mob or Flash Mob energy to the interaction. There is a place for both, but it’s worth considering which will better lead to the outcome you hope for.
If you took that literally and are eager to start planning your flash mob to help raise awareness for a cause you care about - DO IT (and schedule a visioning session with me if you need a skilled dancer/choreographer to help.)
As I always say: THE WORLD NEEDS MORE DANCERS!