PIXEL MAVERICK

There are hundreds of books and articles already written about how fanatical gatherings randomly occur or how large groups get mobilized quickly, but this is the first time I have ever found a video that really captures an observation of the series of events that occur when a significant group activity is mobilized out of thin air.

The video captures the event in sort of a “Wild Kingdom” or “Crocodile Hunter” (Crikey!) style documentary on humans and how they interact.  I am making several assumptions, but here is my personal take on the events that unfold in the video (...feel free to read this in an excited Australian accent to enhance the experience):

• The Brave Wierdo (Guy #1) - This guy clearly could care less what anyone might think of him, and all he really wanted to do was dance.  He started off with no aspirations of doing anything else or recruiting anyone to join him.  He was just filled with pure unadulterated (…ok, he was probably a little adulterated) joy and he had to express it somehow so he hopped up and started dancing.  As a solo act, he is pretty much ignorant of everybody else at the concert is doing – as far as he is concerned it is just him, the band, and his dance.
• The Spark (Guy #2) - This guy was probably just about to start his own solo jam when he saw Guy #1 (Brave Weirdo), or maybe he was even already dancing in solo bliss off-camera  …but then he saw guy #1 and that changed everything.  Unlike our Brave Weirdo, Guy #2 was more aware of his surroundings and noticed that there was someone else that clearly shared his passion for this song.  Guy #2 was inspired by this and ran to join him without hesitation even though he does not know him.  The key here is that Guy #2 joining is what brings our Brave Weirdo out of his solo trance.  Now they are both dancing and are fully aware that others are watching them & while they are content to dance as a couple they are beginning to think it would be great if they could recruit a group to dance.  Guy #2 served as the spark to all of this.  Without him, BW would still just be dancing happily oblivious to the rest of the world.
• The Tipper (Guy #3) - This guy probably knows Guy #2 (The Spark) or maybe he was thinking about joining BW himself, but The Spark beat him to the punch because he was a little bit more self conscious and he hesitated.  After seeing that Spark had connected with BW and that they were clearly having a blast, Guy #3 (The Tipper) felt it was safe enough now and joined in.  Perhaps The Tipper knew several of the next few people who joined in next, but either way after he joined an important barrier was eliminated that had been keeping all the other people who thought this looked fun but were held back from doing so by their own inhibitions.  1 is strange, …2 is interesting but still a little scary, …but 3 is safe enough to join.
• The Environment - It has to be noted that the environment itself plays an vital role in this entire thing.  The music (Santigold – awesome!) is definitely the type of music that easily inspires dancing.  The heavy beat in all of her songs automatically makes you want to bump your head regardless of where you are when you hear it.  The location is an outdoor concert on a grassy hill with a lot of open space and it is gorgeous weather.  Surely the booze is available and there is smoke in the air, both of which provide a great catalyst to spreading the dance fest.

If the combination of all these actions by Guys 1 – 3 had not occured and the environment had not been conducive, then this would have just been a funny video of a strange dude wacked out of his head dancing around. Thank god for the Brave Wierdos, Sparks, and Tippers out there for having the Cahones to take something they are individually passionate about and serving as the inspiration that draws complete strangers together and turns them into a collective force.