When the field behind North Delta Secondary filled with students on Tuesday, it wasn’t a fire drill. In fact, these students weren’t even all in high school.
Students from six different schools came together for a flash mob – albeit a scrupulously prepared and planned one – to raise awareness and ultimately stop bullying.
This is the event’s third iteration as students from Sands Secondary and McCloskey, Jarvis, Hellings, Gibson and Annieville elementary schools performed a Bollywood- inspired dance routine choreographed by the Shiamak Vancouver Dance Team.
Shiamak has been involved since the event’s inception, “[And] we will be involved for the next thirty (years) also,” said Rajesh Mansukhani, the team’s head of communication. “We won’t give this cause up.”
Dance captain Rohan D’Silva agreed.
“Even I was bullied in school,” he said. “Who’s not been?”
Last year, the dance instructors taught the students the flash mob routine over the course of a month – this time it was even longer. But for D’Silva, it was more important to have the students feel unrushed and prepared.
“When you see kids supporting it and being happy with it, and just being themselves having fun – that’s all the idea is.”
BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay also took part in this year’s anti-bullying flash mob.
“We had a few guys [from the team] do this particular event, this anti-bullying flash mob, last year,” he said. “I thought, ‘if those guys can dance for a good cause, I’ll get out of my comfort zone and do the same.’”
Parts of it strayed pretty far out of Lulay’s comfort zone.
“There was a couple parts where I was solo and I wasn’t fully aware that it was just me doing some of those moves,” he said. “But obviously this is about the message, and with that in mind I think we accomplished that goal.”
That sentiment was shared by many of the people at the flash mob, but for the kids involved, like sixth grade student Alex Charnetski, the experience was unforgettable.
“This was really cool,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve done this and I’m going to remember this.”
He looked around, the words “tough guys wear pink” emblazoned on his t-shirt. “Yeah. Let’s stop bullying!”
Students from six North Delta schoolos joined BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay for an anti-bullying flash mob at North Delta Secondary on Feb. 21. Photo credit: Grace Kennedy