London Pride

A selection of OBR Flashmobbers with Member Jennette Arnold at City Hall, (c) Carole Edrich 2013

England, Italy, Norway, Romania, Portugal, Poland, Germany, India, Bulgaria, France, Turkey, Greece, Afghanistan, Chechenia, Australia, Canada, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Hong Kong, Argentina, Georgia, Sweden, Finland… It sounds like a random list of nations, but is in fact the response I got when I posted in the OBR Flashmob group to find out where all the Valentines Day OBR Flashmob performers were from.

It’s probably not a comprehensive list because only 65 of the 93 group members saw the post. Even so, it’s a fantastic representation and gives me a nice warm glow. We managed this because we are in London, a city in which I am living by choice. Like others, I imagine, despite great concerns about pollution, lifestyle, the way that things are run and how policies are both represented and implemented, I’m happy to live in this wonderful city. I can think of very few other places in the world where it might be possible to mix freely with the people of so many different nations beliefs and orientations, where we can travel with only minimal cares for our safety and where we can protest, demonstrate and dance for whatever reasons we choose.

London’s a privilege I’m happy to share, not least because I’m well aware of the fact that it would be nearly impossible to earn a living – even a very poor one – as a dance photojournalist anywhere else.