Features

Flash mob thrills Caf by surprise on Halloween

 

On Halloween day, Grambling State University’s McCall Dining Hall was surprised with a flash mob performance staged by GSU TV, Aramark and the Favrot Student Union Board during the lunch hour. 

Alan Blakeney, GSU’s television center director, said he wanted to shed some positive energy on the university during a time of adversity. 

He talked with a few of his students and thought of an idea that would “spook” the people in a positive way.

“We kind of wanted to do something fun, frivolous and positive,” said Blakeney. “Some of us were just sitting around trying to figure out how to do that and we hit on this idea. It’s Halloween.”

The lights in the Caf dimmed and participants entered from all angles disguised as zombies and re-enacted Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” scene. Immediately, they captivated the attention from everyone in the Caf

“I enjoyed it,” said Eliginnetta Gosey, an electronic engineering technology and military science major from Florien. “I didn’t know what was going on at first, so it kind of scared me, but at the end it was like a dinner and a movie.”

Blakeney said he and Eddie Rushing, GSU’s food service director, discussed this idea for a few weeks but last week when they spoke action began to take place. 

Once Blakeney got the OK from the Caf, he got FSUB’s approval and the show was on. 

Orlando Lewellen, a mass communication major who is also a producer for GSU TV, and his crew pretended to be filming an episode of Etch and Sketch to distract the students from what was going to take place. But when the time was right, the Caf was thrilled by a stage performance of “Thriller.”

“I loved the turnout,” said Alex Smalls, a mass communication major from Dallas. Smalls is also part of GSU TV and he was also a zombie dancer during the flash mob performance in the Caf. “When everybody saw us, they loved it. They said, ‘Aw you look so scary, we loved it.”

Blakeney also wants to thank the 40 people who help put the event together, including the Theatre Department for the makeup and Terry Lilly, who choreographed the dance routine on short notice.