Of flash mobs and wedding proposals

Flash mobs may have been deemed “over” by uppity socialite Caroline Channing on the American sitcom “2 Broke Girls,” and indeed the flood of flash mobs on social media and entertainment have prompted some to question its once awe-inspiring coolness.

 

Writer Amanda Dobbins of New York Magazine’s entertainment and culture site Vulture even called for a flash mob hiatus last year, saying that flash mobs are “a very specific reference, and one that feels slightly staler with each occurrence.”  

 

But apparently flash mobs have yet to go stale in the Philippines, where a range of people including maximum-security inmates, health department officials, and lovestruck boyfriends continue to surprise unsuspecting audiences with their well-rehearsed dance moves. 

 

One such lovestruck boyfriend is Dexter Bonoan, and his unsuspecting audience just happened to be his girlfriend Apple, who was on the receiving end of a flash mob proposal last August 27 at Moon Cafe in SM Fairview.  

 

In this country, the simple act of bending one’s knee to propose marriage has taken many different forms: a bike ride, or a hot air balloon ride, a graduation ceremony, or an airport arrival. 

 

But there is perhaps no wedding proposal that better satisfies the natural-born performer that is the Filipino than one that involves an elaborate conspiracy of song and dance.

 

Dexter caught on to this after stumbling upon a flash mob proposal video online and realizing it was a stunt he could definitely pull off. Not knowing where to start, he called professional mob dancers Las Piñas Performers for help. 

 

“We brainstormed through phone... We texted and called each other for a week and they executed it as planned, but I only got to practice with them the day I was proposing,” he told GMA News Online.

 

Even with the last-minute practice, Dexter’s proposal turned out to be a success. As the video of the big event shows, Apple was evidently surprised.

 

According to Dexter, the proposal rendered Apple speechless, but only after she said yes. The newly engaged couple is set for a civil wedding later in the year, and a full wedding in August 2013.

 

“My boss said, 'your proposal will always be brought up by your wife in the future,'” Dexter shared.

 

“He said he was speaking from experience. So it carved in me that I had to make this proposal extra special,” Dexter said.

 

It’s safe to say that his mission was accomplished, thanks to a fad that, at least in this country, can still make a girlfriend swoon. –KG/HS, GMA News