Improv Everywhere

Yesterday I participated in an "Mp3 Experiment" for Improv Everywhere. It was sort of like a flashmob, but a little bit different. Everyone downloaded the same recording to listen to on their ipods and other devices at a specific time (5 pm for us). Everyone gathered in downtown Oslo, pressed play at the exact same time and followed the instructions for about 45 minutes. It was really fun and really hilarious. The trains were running slow yesterday so we were actually on the train when we had to start the recording, so we were high-fiving people and stretching and such on the train. Other things we had to do: thumb war, square dancing, "nap time" which required you to lay down and pretend you were taking a nap, "steve says" (the omnipotent voice we heard was named Steve), and a giant balloon-bopping war with all of the red and yellow shirted people against the blue and green shirted people. We ended with slow motion high fives and hugs. So fun. And great to see the onlookers reactions.

The first link I've included is a Norwegian news segment about the event. It's about a minute and a half long and shows some of the things we had to do. There is a close up of my friend Micah's head at one point, but you can only see me from a distance (I have my hand on a bald guy's head--human twister). The second link is to Improv Everywhere's site that tells about their Mp3 experiments in more detail. Hopefully they will come out with a video of Oslo's experiment soon. You can watch videos from previous years. There is one from NYC that is pretty hilarious. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn6I98O1BO0
http://improveverywhere.com/missions/the-mp3-experiments/
"Here’s how it works: we put an original mp3 file online (usually around 45 minutes long) that people download and transfer to their mobile devices. Participants then synchronize their watches to an atomic clock on our website, head out to the same public location, and blend in with others. At the predetermined time, everyone presses play. Hilarity ensues as participants carry out ridiculous, coordinated instructions delivered to their headphones via narrator “Steve” and everyone else tries to figure out what the hell is going on."