CLEVELAND, Ohio — Lunchtime shoppers stopped in their tracks in Tower City Center this afternoon as more than 200 children broke into a routine worthy of the Fox television megahit “Glee.”Shaker Dance Academy, burst into choreographed movement around the fountain and up the marble stairs as the sound of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” blasted from speakers.
The dancers, ages 8 to 18 from the Cleveland and Akron Boys and Girls clubs and the
They went right into Usher’s “More” and when the song was over, they dispersed, melting into the crowd.
The “hero” in question is LeBron James, and they are hoping to see “more” of him.
The kids are hoping the King sees the dance routine and that it helps convince him that the place for him is still with the Cavaliers when his contract runs out at the end of the month. The dance was organized by Positively Cleveland and WKYC Channel 3 as part of the “More Than a Player” campaign to keep James with the Cavs.
“We want him to stay,” said Kristopher Terry, 18, of the Shaker Dance Academy. “We’re doing our dances to look like a fash mob, hoping to encourage him.”
For anyone over 30, a “flash mob” occurs when groups of people come together for a spontaneous demonstration after an alert is sent out through a social network, such as Facebook or Twitter.
Whether the dance succeeds in encouraging James not to pack his bags, it was a pleasant surprise to shoppers and folks catching a quick lunch in the food court.
“That was fabulous,” said Victoria Kovacs, 56, of Willowick, who stopped shopping and watched the display. “It was so cool. They just started dancing and they are so good. I was standing there, going ‘Yay.’ ”
Debbie and Bill Demrow are visiting from Lexington, Ky., and were also impressed with the dance, though they cared little about keeping the basketball phenom in Cleveland.
“I used to be a dance instructor and I was very impressed at what the kids were doing,” Debbie Demrow said.
For all the appearance of spontaneity, which happens with regularity on television and in the movies, the dancers from Cleveland and Akron have spent a lot of time practicing to make it look effortless and unplanned.
“We had to learn the steps fast,” said Elizabeth Beltran, 14, of the West Side Boys and Girls Club. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
The kids performed the four-minute routine three times before evaporating into the crowd once again and boarding buses.
