Under the bright lights in the middle of Orchard Mall on Sunday afternoon, a "flash mob" of about 50 broke into a prescripted dance routine to the delight of those in attendance of a fundraising event.

The mall's various retailers offered portions of the day's proceeds to benefit Friendship Circle in weeks leading up to the the West Bloomfield-based nonprofit organization's biggest annual fundraiser, the Walk4Friendship.

The Everything4Friendship event also saw a large crowd of children, who may have come for the blow-up toys, candy, and popcorn, but stayed rapt during the four-and-a-half-minute performance led by self-described "mob boss" Susie Seigle.

"I thought that if I could get a bunch of people to come perform that they'd bring more people to come and see them," said Seigle, co-owner of the mall's Gotta Dance studio. 

"We want to bring more awareness to Friendship Circle because it's an amazing cause. ... It was a great time out there today."

Walk4Friendship takes place Sept. 2. For more information, visit walk4friendship.com.

Show us your flash mob

Where there's a crowd these days, there's likely to be a flash mob.

And where there's a flash mob, well, there's likely to be a camera capturing the song and dance.

A flash mob is a group of people who gather in public, suddenly, to perform a song or dance or another random (but coordinated) act. As quickly as they come together, they then disperse.

Patch has been lucky enough to have been tipped off to several such flash mobs over the past several months.

Here, we've compiled videos of some of our favorites. Have you been involved in a flash mob? Upload a video here and share it with Patch readers. Are you planning a flash mob? Let your Patch's local editor know (our email addresses are at the top of this page).

Until then, here's a little flash mob inspiration. Read through the stories below — or scroll through the videos above.

• Flash Mob Crashes Applefest: In Fenton, the Fenton School of Dance and Academy performs at the town's Applefest. "It was really hard trying not to tell your friends about it," said dancer Marissa Bellinger.
• Somerset Collection Squashes Breastfeeding 'Flash Mob': This was the flash mob that wasn't: mall security tells participants in a nursing mom flash mob that they can't flash mob there — and that they can't breastfeed in public, either.
• Liggett Performers Give Sneak Peak of Spring Musical: In an effort to give their spring musical, Hairspray, some publicity, 35 or so students perform on a busy street corner in Grosse Pointe.
• Lights, Santa, Flash Mob: Christmas Comes to Rochester Hills:  A flash mob, performed by dancers from Adagio Dance Company, was among the highlights of the annual tree-lighting ceremony in the city.
• Canton's Miller Elementary Students Create Flash Mob: Group rushes the streets of downtown Plymouth to perform choreographed dance at Green Street Fair.
• Brooksie Team Teaches Flash Mob to Get Children Ready for 5K Race: L. Brooks Patterson helps kick off the Brooksie Way Middle School Challenge in Rochester Hills with a little flash mob instruction.
• Flash Mob Breaks Out in Dance at The Village: Talmer Bank & Trust employees break out into dance at the Battle of the Bands during the Village's Back 2 School Bash.
• Troy High Band 'Walking on Sunshine' at Troy Public Library: The band gets musical inside the library as part of a "Take it to the Streets" initiative to help support local music programs.
• You've Got Photos: 'Art, Music + Performance': Street performers assemble in downtown Wyandotte for the city's first Art, Music + Performance.
• DuVall Students Hold Anti-Bullying Flash Mobs: Students in Dearborn dance to Katy Perry's "Firework" to promote acceptance of their peers.
• Flash Mob Takes to Main Street:  The Center Stage Dance company performs its first flash mob in downtown Northville.
• Christmas Flash Mob Surprises Sunday Shoppers in Rochester Hills: Singers and dancers from Macomb and Clinton townships turn up at The Village of Rochester Hills Mall to perform to a hip-hop version of All I Want for Christmas is You.

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