Flash mob highlights the importance of Laolao Bay

Members of the Our Laolao campaign participated in the first ever flash mob on Saipan to draw more attention to the community-driven environmental initiative that seeks to protect one of the island’s most abundant and valuable ecosystems.

A flash mob is a spontaneous dance craze—often appearing out of nowhere—that starts with one person and quickly grows into a crowd of people dancing a choreographed routine then disperses back to normal within minutes.

About 25 students, government employees, and organization members danced their hearts out at about 8pm on May 19 at the Taste of the Marianas grounds to an island-style mix of chart-toppers like Soul Sister by Train, Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears, and Firework by Katy Perry.

Division of Environmental Quality’s Emanuel “Manny” Borja choreographed the flash mob, the latest in a string of activities aimed at promoting the importance of Laolao Bay to the island culture and the ensuing efforts to keep it litter-free for future generations.

Launched last March, the Our Laolao campaign emphasizes the shared responsibility of protecting Saipan’s precious environmental resources and is highlighted by stories about this community treasure from the campaign’s “champions.”

“The flash mob draws attention to the Our Laolao campaign in a fun way and hopefully gets people to stop and think about the places that make Saipan special,” said Borja.

Saturday’s flash mob, which took a week of rehearsals, also featured a character wearing a costume displaying all kinds of trash—soda cans, food wrappers, plastic bottles—that destroy Laolao Bay and other natural resources in the Commonwealth.

DEQ’s Aric Bickel said that the idea of the flash mob is to encourage the community to “respect” a very special place like Laolao Bay.

“It’s unique to so many different people for so many different reasons,” Bickel told Saipan Tribune.

Laolao Bay, Bickel said, is a source of livelihood for a lot of people and is also a place where residents and tourists enjoy spending quality time with family and friends or just to appreciate nature at its best.

“It’s a place worth protecting. It’s a very unique place that we want to respect to protect its future,” he added.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.ourlaolao.com.