'Random Act Of Culture' Flash Mob Stuns South Beach

SOUTH BEACH (CBSMiami) — Visitors to South Beach's Lincoln Road were treated to a "Randon Act of Culture" Saturday afternoon.

For about eight minutes, shoppers and diners stopped what they were doing to enjoy a rendition of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".

The performance was put together as part of the Knight Foundation's "Random Acts of Culture", a movement designed to get the arts off stage and on the street in eight cities across the country.

The Foundation has sponored 1,000 of these acts over the last two years, more than 160 of them in South Florida.

Saturday's event, which included nearly 200 singers, dancers and musicians ranks as one of the largest acts yet.

"There have been events with individual groups, but this event has brought all the groups together," producer Hollie Altman said.

Each group practiced individually for weeks, but the entire ensemble only practiced once for three hours on the Thursday night before the performance.

Among the performers were a traditional classical chorus, a jazz band, and Afro-Cuban percusionists.

Sam Hyken has participated in a handful of artistic style "flashmobs" before. He was the music director and composer for the latest event on South Beach.

"I hope everyone watching felt a range of emotions," Hyken said.

The crowd seemed impressed. The usually bustling area of Lincoln Rd. at Euclid Ave. basically came to a standstill Saturday as officers roped off the area for the performance.

"It was great. Really great to see something like that in the community," Amy Casey said after the performance.

The event was the final "official" Random Act of Culture the Knight Foundation has planned for South Florida, but the hope is smaller artistic groups will be inspired to keep the movement going.