Trend That Must Stop: Public Dancing Schtick

Break Out in Song did it again, getting a bunch of dancers to jump around to "If My Friends Could See Me Now" in the Time Warner Center yesterday. Further performances are promised for this afternoon at the South Street Seaport, tomorrow at the Intrepid, and Sunday in front of the Marquis in Times Square. BOIS has done this several times before in public spaces, and it's getting out of hand. You have doubtless seen the L.A. flash mob performance of "Can't Touch This" in Hammer pants, and maybe the record-breaking iPod-enabled flash dance at London's Victoria Station or some of the Michael Jackson tribute flashes.

Maybe you still think it's cute. We are sick to death of it. We reached our saturation point when T-Mobile made a goddamn commercial of it in Liverpool Station. This should have been a clear, worldwide sign that the Thing had become an ex-Thing, like Razor scooters, crocs, and probiotics. The Thing is a Schtick. That's why BOIS is taking it to the tourist traps.

We regard the call, "Hey look, a bunch of people are waltzing at Bethesda Fountain!" as we might regard the call, "Hey look, some guy is beating on upturned tofu buckets in a subway station!"