Cambridge University Ballet Club have created the first ballet themed flash mob.

The flash mob of around 25 dancers, who  took to the Lion Yard centre on Saturday afternoon, entertained a crowd of several hundred shoppers.

The dance was done to contemporary pop music, and mixed traditional twirls and pirouhettes with modern dance moves.

Onlookers commented that they were ‘impressed at how professional’ the dancers were. ‘We were impressed at their co-ordination, especially considering that they had to weave in around the Saturday shoppers.

‘It was a completely unexpected thing to happen on your Saturday shop, and I think they got a lot of attention.’

Caroline Radnovsky, social secretary of the Ballet Club and co-ordinator of the event, commented that ‘when I first had the idea, I didn't think we could make it happen.

‘But people were so enthusiastic, from the choreographers, to the dancers, to Lion Yard itself, including Curry's, who loaned us our amazing sound system, that it ended up working even better than I'd imagined. We had a fantastic time doing it, which is hopefully what came across.’

The event  was intended to promote their upcoming performances of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘The Season’s Variations’ at the end of this month; it also wanted to encourage people to join in with one of the five classes they organise each week.

Whilst common in some major cities, flash mobs are a relatively recent development in Cambridge. This is one of the first of its kind; in the past they have typically been used for political protests over issues such as tuition fees and the environment.

Plans for forthcoming flash mobs include attempts to protest the lack of involvement of other universities in the Oxford-Cambridge boat race by racing inflatables, model boats and rubber ducks alongside the river.