'Flash mob' dances on Cascade Avenue during Quilt Show

Hundreds of Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show visitors were treated to a fun, high-energy "flash mob" dance Saturday morning at the intersection of Cascade and Elm in downtown Sisters.

Thirty-plus dancers ranging in age from 5 to 73 showed up at Sisters Dance Academy on Friday morning for a 90-minute rehearsal choreographed by owner and dance teacher Lonnie Liddell. Along with two of Liddell's children, Charley and McKenna, several of her dancers brought along family members to take part, including Zoe and Madison Haney's mom, Angelique, and Brooke Blakelock's brother Cole, mom Stephanie and grandma Diane.

As the crowd walking along Cascade Avenue swelled a little after 10 a.m., Hunter Blakelock hit the amplifier and blasted "We Are One," the official 2014 FIFA World Cup song by Pit Bull, featuring Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte.

The first four dancers, Zack Anderson, Ashonte Hull, Lexie Miller and Olivia Bertagna, casually walked into the center of the intersection waving their arms to the music. They were quickly followed by the other colorfully dressed dancers from among the crowd, and they all suddenly broke into a vigorous hip-hop routine. At one point Cole Blakelock and Nick Manley dazzled the crowd with some martial arts moves while Zack Anderson broke into his own freestyle hip-hop and pop routine.

The crowd gathered around and began clapping and tapping their feet to the beat.

Stephanie Blakelock said, "It was so much fun, so full of positive energy and happiness. I looked around and all I saw was a sea of smiling faces, clapping hands and people dancing along the sidelines cheering us on."

Liddell expressed gratitude to Jeanette Pilak, who helped her coordinate the event with the quilt show.

"We're so happy we could add our energy to the show," Liddell said. "We hope the enthusiasm will grow and we will have even more people get up and dance for the quilt show next year."