ABSTRACT In this paper I argue that artists/activists in India use Bollywood dance and songs to choreograph flash mob performances with the aim of addressing issues of public importance because Bollywood is a common performative site that can be used to mobilize people. In order to understand how Bollywood based dance flash mobs have civic potential for activists-cum-performers, I conducted in-depth interviews with 20 flash mob choreographers in four cities of India. Based on my findings, I suggest that Bollywood based dance flash mobs are identified by the urban youth as inherently political and democratic in nature. These performances are often accompanied with the organizer-generated subgenre of flash mob videos recorded for the online audience. In archiving these performances, organizers also enable a virtual network of connections where individuals who share the same civic aspirations can come together and build solidarity around the cause.

中文翻译：

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宝莱坞舞蹈快闪族的公民潜力：关于青年参与和数字网络

摘要 在本文中，我认为印度的艺术家/活动家使用宝莱坞的舞蹈和歌曲编排快闪族表演，目的是解决具有公共重要性的问题，因为宝莱坞是一个常见的表演场所，可以用来动员人们。为了了解宝莱坞的快闪族舞蹈团如何为活动家兼表演者带来公民潜力，我对印度四个城市的 20 位快闪族编舞家进行了深入采访。根据我的发现，我认为城市青年认为以宝莱坞为基地的舞蹈快闪族本质上是政治和民主的。这些表演通常伴随着为在线观众录制的组织者生成的快闪视频子类型。在存档这些表演时，