Vivid Sydney is billed as the festival where art, technology and commerce intersect. With three weeks of game changing ideas and seminars, amazing music and light sculptures that transform the city, it's also the people of Sydney that come alive.
One such person is Christie Aucamp-Schutte, a university student, no affiliation with Vivid, who has been transforming the streets with her 'Free Dance Party'; her mission to make Sydney dance again.
"The idea was originally for my university doco last year," Aucamp-Schutte told The Music.
"I was inspired by the Free Hugs movement. People are estranged from each other due to tech addiction and busy city life, but when there is a busker in the street, strangers pause and have a shared experience together. Often I wanted to dance to the music and could tell others did too, but I felt awkward.
"In China, Brazil and other countries people dance on the street all the time, but not here. It just takes one person to start the dancefloor at parties, so I wanted to try replicate that effect on the street."
On Saturday night however, Aucamp-Schutte's dance party, featured in the above video, was shut down, Footloose style. Councillor Jess Scully has insisted the dancing "was not shut down by our City of Sydney rangers" rather that the area is "controlled by Property aka Place Management NSW, and run by Destination NSW (Vivid Sydney) staff".
"I love dancing and I wish we had more of a dancing culture; it's good for the soul and for connecting our society," Aucamp-Schutte shared.
"There's a rule for everything in this city and it's bled our culture dry. So this is my little peaceful protest."
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