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She waves me over with a smile.
Are you here forThe OA?
Were practicing down the street.
The womans name, I soon learn, is Jess Grippo.
This isnt Grippos firstOA-centric dance mob.
It didnt work (I think).
They represent blind faith, community, and a willingness to be open and vulnerable.
On their own, they are a bit difficult to swallow (at first).
Theyre unnatural and odd.
Theres nothing sexy about them.
But in the context of the show and the flash mob the embarrassment is part of the point.
And for a certain subset of people, they are contagious and thrilling.
Can I take a picture?
Grippo gamely poses for a photo, pulling me into it.
I ask the woman why shes here.
I cant do the movements, but I really wanted to see them, she says.
My daughter told me, Watch this show mom, youre gonna love it.
I watched it earlier this year and I just fell in love.
The group rehearsesthe movements several times.
Its imperfect, with some slip-ups and loss of synchronicity, but I find myself getting choked up.
Its one of the least cynical things Ive ever seen.
Across the country, on the corner of Sunset and Van Ness, theres another uncynical movement unfolding.
To all the people thinking it is absurd to hunger strike over a TV show: I agree.
But you want to know something even more absurd?
Untreated conditions make it harder to obtain employment, making it even more impossible to get help.
That last part is of particular significance to Young.
I can hear honks of support in the background.
You leave messages, people dont call you back.
But when things are difficult, you’ve got the option to turn to art.
It makes a difference to people who dont have anything else.
I got a bit starstruck, says Young.
I didnt really know how to process it.
I could barely speak.
They seemed friendly and open and wonderful.
We have to save each other.
Every day, in small and great ways.
Back in New York, the flash mob is getting ready to approach Netflix.
The building is under construction, so they gather across the street instead.
I ask a woman wearing a blue dress with hearts why shes there.
Brit Marlings character reminds me of myself in a lot of ways.
Im legally blind, so I have a lot of similar childhood memories.
She says shes here today because I think we can make things happen with our hearts.
Thats why Im wearing the hearts.
Trauma, emotional repression, and letting go.
It runs the human emotional spectrum.
If youre paying attention, its hard not to feel really emotional.
Her friend, who shed previously only met online, chimes in.
What if we came together?
That can be really healing for a lot of people.
The group plans on continuing their efforts long-term.
When its time for the official performance to start, a hush settles over the dancers.
Everyone takes their places, and Grippo stomps her feet three times to signify the beginning of the movements.
Next to me, a young woman films the performance with tears in her eyes.
She turns to me.
Not everyones gonna get it.
But the people that do, its a beautiful thing.
She politely asks me to take down the video.
MyOAkids are getting bullied, she says.
I oblige, and ask her why she thinks the video garnered such a strong negative reaction.
Were so used to violence in our media that I think the anger was aboutnotseeing a typical school shooting.
In Hollywoods vision of the world, violence should be met with violence.
Our automatic response: That would never work in real life.
True, she continues.
This is a fantasy, like all media is.The OAjust puts forth a different kind of fantasy.
