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ALTON - The highly anticipated flash mob performance was back once again during the Alton annual Halloween Parade.

Students from local Principia College in nearby Elsah were able to put on a “flash mob” dance as part of the Alton Halloween parade. This was Principia’s ninth year participating in the parade.

The event took place this year at the intersection of 3rd and Piasa Streets. With hundreds waiting at the specific spot to see the “hip-hop” styled dance. Assistant Professor of Dance at Principia College, Erin Lane, was able to organize the flash mob with help from students.

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Lane described the performance, “It’s really exciting, there's an adrenaline rush when you perform, and when the students do really well and share their enthusiasm about the event and then the art, it's just fantastic!”

Choreographers of the dance were Emily Kraack and Hanna Dow, both sophomores attending Principia College. Kraack stated that the practices for the dance included a total of six hours of rehearsal. Also included was one final dress rehearsal the day before the performance.

Planning and executing the flash mob took about one month of a lot of work for both Dow and Kraack. When asked what it felt like for Kraack to perform in the flash mob, she said, “Principia sometimes feels tucked away. Everyone's waiting and looking forward to it! It’s hype and it's cool and fun to see their reactions!”

The Principia flash mob plans to appear again next Halloween at Piasa and 3rd Street right in between Frew’s Bridal and River Bend Yoga.

Jeremy Ramirez-Garcia is a Principia College intern for Riverbender.com.

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