Back in May, members of the Saanich Police Department in Victoria, Canada, used some free time to do some community engagement, which included putting on their dancing shoes.

A flashmob was planned at Uptown by twenty-one officers and 100 kids from the local Spectrum Community School’s dance program.The music they chose was, of course, Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk.’

Developing connections
The purpose of the event, according to a news release issued after the event, was ‘to build a particular bond between students and police.’

‘This was accomplished by cops and students partaking in dance lessons together, where they could laugh and work toward a common goal of dancing in a flash mob.” Most officers were uncomfortable dancing in public as part of a flash mob, but they were prepared to take a risk and create a great and lasting experience for our community.’

Preparation
Officers not only attended dance sessions with the students, but they also practiced on their own time.
And who made the moves for them? Lia Shannon, a dance teacher at Spectrum Community School who later received the Chief Constable’s Citizenship Award for her efforts in organizing the event.

The Chief Constable’s Citizenship Award was presented to Lia Shannon. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/sGytGWQ0Br
June 21, 2017 — Spectrum School (@SpectrumThunder)

‘I had no idea that prize existed, so it was a complete shock.’ Shannon told Victoria News, ‘I was extremely honored and happy to get it.’
Roll Focus Productions professionally recorded the dance, and the official version has over 100,000 views on YouTube (though there are other recordings from those present at the event as well).

Putting everything together
Putting on a public show with 121 individuals is no simple undertaking, yet the ensemble managed to stun shoppers with their 4-minute routine on May 4th.

‘I had my advanced dancers start it, and then the rest of my dancers came in, so I had about 100 dancers, and the cops were like, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘And then they come in and startle the crowd,’ Shanon explained.

Niki Sundher, a member of Saanich Police’s community engagement division, is the one who came up with the idea.Shannon and the dancers had only four days to pull everything together!
‘For those four days, my dancers practiced every day, all day,’ she said.

Taking the situation seriously
The 21 cops took their jobs seriously, attending classes when they could and even engaging in Shannon’s 2 a.m. training sessions to fit their schedules.

‘I once had 17 police officers in my class.’ I was blown away by how seriously they took it.’
One cop in particular was passionate about doing everything properly.
‘He came in and helped me practice.’ This section, I warned him, is quite difficult. ‘However, he was dead serious and stated, ‘I’m going to do this.’

Making it work
The concert not only drew a large crowd and a lot of praise, but it also succeeded in bridging the gap between students and the police.

Shannon, who has seen the benefits for her pupils, said, ‘I thought it would simply be a fun project and I can’t believe the impact it has on the community.’ ‘The connections that the kids developed with the cops.’ They’re relieved to finally see these officers. It makes for a nice connection.’

Check out the video below to experience the performance for yourself!
Please tell your friends and family about this.