IT TOOK a spontaneous dance with 150 strangers and a silly-looking drag queen to change Annemarie Grahl's life.
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The leadership trainer had never been part of a flash mob until she danced on Bondi Beach a year ago, lead by a crew of gay entertainers and party promoters called Say Cheese.
It was so much fun she escaped to Thailand, contemplated not coming home and when she did, left her job to find a more positive workplace.
''It short-circuited my life,'' said Ms Grahl, 45. ''The energy was so amazing and it was so much fun, I was like why am I doing this to myself? Why am I going to work in this horribly miserable environment when there is potential to have this much fun. It really just gave me a kick up the bum to get me out of my grind and put some extra zing in what I do.''
Tomorrow the same group will be on the Sydney Opera House steps. There have also been impromptu performances in The Rocks and the QVB, the videos of which still attract around 2000 hits a day and have been added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then disperse.
The call for rehearsals for tomorrow's event were spread by email, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and videos of the event, usually spread online virally.
About 200 people, from toddlers to bodybuilders, mostly strangers, gathered clandestinely in a Darlinghurst school hall this week. After conquering each dance move they cheered loudly.
''We're just trying to spread some joy, fun and laughter,'' said Dan Murphy, a Sydney DJ behind the flash mobs.
There have been spontaneous pillow fights in Pittsburgh and almost 300 commuters dancing in unison to ''Do-Re-Mi'' at Antwerp's central station but Australians have become renowned for their flash mobbing. The New York Post declared the Bondi Beach flash mob the best ever.
''We're very good at laughing at ourselves and taking the mickey,'' said Shane Pascoe, who moonlights as the leader of the mob, Joyce Maynge.
Once the performance is over, most participants never see each other again.
''There is this one moment when everyone comes together and everybody else is so shocked and amazed and it's an incredible moment,'' Ms Grahl said.
