It’s 6:14 p.m. and everything is silent in Flint Hall. A cluster of five students walks down the deserted second-floor hallway, whispering and giggling to each other covertly. Their heads move from side to side, quickly examining each door that they pass.

The leader of the group stops short. They have found the room that they’re looking for.

Suddenly, four of the students flatten themselves against the wall next to the door, ready to ambush the unsuspecting resident. The remaining leader stands squarely in front of the closed door and knocks.

As a confused girl peeks out from behind the door, the group sprints into place in front of her and launches into song.

‘Can you feel the love tonight?’ they croon to the girl, whose dazed expression melts into laughter.

This was just one of many singing valentines delivered Tuesday evening by First Year Players, which organized and sold personalized flash mobs in celebration of Valentine’s Day.

For $5, students could request and purchase a singing Valentine’s Day-themed flash mob for a friend, significant other or acquaintance to be delivered by FYP.

The student-run organization produces annual musicals starring non-drama major students in their first year at Syracuse University. This year is the organization’s 20^th anniversary.

‘We are a group of people who love to perform, and we wanted to put our talents to good use,’ said Abby Sherburne, a junior communications and rhetorical studies major and one of the fundraising chairs in FYP’s finance department. The flash mobs were a means of channeling their talent into procuring funds for the organization.

Students filled out a sheet with information such as their desired recipient, where the mob should take place and a choice of song to be performed. Students could pick from a selection of medleys that ranged from Marvin Gaye’s ‘Lets Get It On’ and Cascada’s ‘Everytime We Touch.’

The group set up a table in the Ernie Davis, Brockway, and Graham dining centers last Thursday and Friday to sell the flash mobs. They also had a table in Schine Student Center during a blood drive Monday.

Members of FYP then split into groups, traveling in small packs to deliver the performances to unknowing recipients. By calling the valentine sender briefly before they were set to perform, the groups ensured that the recipient would be in the designated place to see their flash mob in action.

The valentines proved to be more than just a spontaneous way to celebrate the holiday. They were used as an opportunity to display the group’s talent and publicize its upcoming production.

‘We definitely want to get the word out about our show,’ said Sarah Bogden, an undeclared freshman and cast member of FYP’s production of the musical ‘The Drowsy Chaperone,’ set to run from April 12-14.

From sorority houses to South Campus, the members dashed around to make their special deliveries to one unsuspecting recipient at a time.

Amanda Quick, a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major, purchased a flash mob for her boyfriend, Matt Casale, a sophomore exercise science major.

‘I thought it would be something special to send instead of chocolate,’ she said. ‘It was definitely a Valentine’s Day he would remember.’

Stepping out of his room, Casale was surprised by the small crowd that gathered around his door and serenaded him with Elton John’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight.’

‘I was just doing my work, and I didn’t think it would be a flash mob,’ said Casale. ‘I think they did a really great job.’

Another student and a resident adviser on the sixth floor of Day Hall, Elizabeth Doyon received a singing valentine from her residents.

‘My heart was pounding,’ said Doyon, a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. ‘But this is definitely the best thing I’ve ever seen on Valentine’s Day.’

ggriccar@syr.edu

Published on February 14, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Gabriela: ggriccar@syr.edu