Above: During a flash mob performance aimed at raising awareness and funds for autism, the members of Hope4Spandana move in synch to Bollywood and American pop beats. Below: The members of Hope4Spandana pose with their banner after a flash mob performance at Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick on July 29. EDISON — Flash mobs have been taking the world by storm for more than a decade, with shoppers or pedestrians often surprised and entertained by a converging group’s seemingly impromptu performance.
Those browsing Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick on July 29 got a taste of the spontaneous sensation when the 15 members of Hope4Spandana — a nonprofit made up of high school students who seek to help children with autism — broke out into a choreographed dance routine.
“Flash mobs are the ideal way to spread awareness,” said Sharwani Kota, 15, who founded Hope4Spandana.
A rising junior and honor student at J.P. Stevens High School, Sharwani felt the drive to make a difference for children with autism since she was a child, she said.
The organization she would later form took its name from a school in her mother’s hometown in Southern India —Anantapur.
Lakshmi, Sharwani’s father, brought her to the school to show her the plight of the children who live and learn there. Because the children have autism, their uneducated parents abandon them in the streets, believing the condition is a bad omen from God, Sharwani explained.
Touched by the students at Spandana — a Sanskrit word for change and motivation — Sharwani decided to adopt the school after spending four weeks with the children there.
Funds raised through Hope4Spandana are split 50:50 between the school in India and autism organizations in the United States, she said.
Lakshmi pointed out the particular need for awareness and funding in New Jersey, citing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Throughout the country, 1 in 68 children has autism. In New Jersey, that number is 1 in 45. The picture is even bleaker for boys, at 1 in 28 in the Garden State, according to the CDC.
“Boys are more prone to autism,” Lakshmi explained.
Sharwani and her fellow dancers aim to bring attention to facts like these, and in turn, to get people to contribute to the cause.
Along with practicing, their nearly 20- minute routine, which incorporates both Bollywood songs from India and top American pop tracks, the young women spent the summer creating brochures, business cards and a banner to represent their organization, Sharwani said.
“We actually worked really hard this summer,” she said.
At the conclusion of their pop-up dance productions — during which all wear Tshirts emblazoned with the Hope4Spandana logo — the group members display their banner, then engage with the crowd that has gathered, sharing the literature.
“Within the past two performances, we raised about $300,” Sharwani said, adding, “Everyone was really interested.”
Hope4Spandana’s second performance was at CareOne at the Highlands, a rehabilitation and long-term care facility in Edison.
“They thought it was a very interesting way to support [the cause],” Sharwani said.
While interesting and innovative, the flash mob concept also proved time consuming. Sharwani enlisted the help of a professional choreographer, and the girls — ranging from eighth to eleventh grade — worked tirelessly for a month to perfect the synchronized moves.
“Coordinating [rehearsals] was really hard, but we did it really well,” Sharwani said.
And fancy footwork is not the only kind involved in making flash mobs happen, according to Lakshmi, who assists the group in obtaining permission from the venues at which they perform.
“To the public it’s a flash mob, but in the background, there’s a lot of work to be done,” he said, adding, “The kids are working so hard.”
Future performances are set for Aug. 9, 14, 22 and 23 at surprise locations, and Lakshmi is working with places like Metropark in Iselin and officials in Jersey City to set up flash mobs.
In addition, Simon Malls, which owns Brunswick Square Mall, has asked the group to perform at Menlo Park Mall during the holiday season, Lakshmi said.
Sharwani’s success with her undertakings to help children with autism didn’t come easy. She dedicated herself to learning all she could about autism, then immersed herself in working on ways to help.
After researching the condition, Sharwani teamed up with the Edison-based nonprofit Art Speaks for Autism, which is affiliated with St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Seeking to raise funds for the cause she holds dear, Sharwani did performances at senior centers, veterans’ homes and community centers throughout the area, playing the veena, a South Indian classical instrument. In six months, she raised nearly $5,000 and donated the funds to St. Peter’s, which does extensive research into autism.
Sharwani also worked directly with children with autism for 16 weeks through St. Peter’s Jump Start 4 Autism program, which is held at the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities in Edison.
To learn more about Hope4Spandana, visit www.hope4spandana.org. To watch the flash mob at Brunswick Square Mall, visit YouTube and search for Hope4Spandana.