#32 How to Start a Train Party!
A disruptive disciple's guide to changing culture
On a typical workday in 2014, a commuter train in Perth, Australia, is packed with passengers heading to their usual destinations.
No one talks; all eyes are on their phones. The atmosphere is mundane, boring, and ordinary. We hear the train tannoy ring out with an iconic “ping” followed by a female tube announcer warning… “Doors… Closing.”
Suddenly, a man dressed in a tuxedo disrupts the status quo.
Enter the fiercely optimistic Peter Sharp: A social artist, video director & public speaker. He has been creating social experiments to get people talking long before the flash mobs and TikTok trends that have become so prolific today.
Peter opens his mouth to break the silence of the train carriage.
“Hey guys…
I don't want money.
I just want to spread a little bit of happiness.
So, I’m going to do that today by starting a small dance party….”
At first, the confused passengers shuffle around in awkward silence. Some look the other way. A few though are intrigued. Sharp continues undeterred by any individual’s reaction.
“Now, I'm doing this because we are all amazing individuals and we all have a story to tell. We all have something to share.”
At this point, I wonder if he is about to launch into a four point version of the gospel. He does not.
“So, as a way of breaking that ice, I’m gonna start a small dance party….
And if you want to join in you are more than welcome…
Or if you just want to watch or clap, that is equally okay…
Thanks guys….”
Peter stoops down to switch on the boombox he had hidden in his backpack.
What follows is the inimitable sound of James Brown’s gritty and soulful voice, characterised by his unmistakable raw, raspy edge, filling the whole train.
Whoa!
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good, I got you!!!
For about 30 seconds, Peter is dancing around in the train on his own, his bottom sticking out like a crazed nightclubber. He enthusiastically jives alone to the catchy tune, looking totally misplaced in his out-of-place tux.
A few smiles emerge.
You hear a splutter of claps.
Peter carries on dancing.
Just after the one-minute mark, a woman finally leaps up, seemingly activated after mustering the guts privately to join in.
Peter takes this moment of momentum to bring gentle instruction to all…
“This is open to anyone… if anyone wants to start moving and grooving you can totally do that.”
As soon as there is more than one person up and dancing in the train, the atmosphere shifts. People start to laugh and engage with each other. Passengers start to clap louder.
A guy in a pink vest, wearing cool shades, breaks his cover and is up on his feet, as if he's been waiting for an invitation like this his whole life.
Meanwhile, Peter travels the length of the entire train, extending invitations. Whether through the sway of the music or the might of his pure charisma, something eventually gives way.
As the camera pans around, more and more people are up on their feet, the old and young alike laughing and dancing, throwing caution to the wind.
What was a dry, lifeless place just a few minutes ago has now transformed into the vibrant heart of the Central Line. Things are back on track.
Soon everybody is swaying, twisting and jigging to the music.
Well, almost everybody…
Sitting pinned against the side of the train, firmly locked in her seat, we see a grumpy-looking woman who stands out like a sore thumb. She is frozen, arms folded tight, appearing as if her day has been severely interrupted by this rogue illegal rave.
You can see it on her face… “this is not the time or the place for dancing!!!”
(See 2 Minutes 15 on the video below).
Then comes a moment that gives me chills every time.
The train pulls up at a station, the doors open, and more passengers arrive on board.
A woman in a turquoise top, carrying a red bag with her hair tied back, walks through the sliding doors. She takes a micro-moment to survey the train, listens to the music, and absorbs the atmosphere. Without hesitation, she waves her hands and joins in, dancing to the music along with the rest of the train party.
(See 2 Minutes 31).
What's particularly significant is that she wasn't part of Peter's original call to action. In fact, she wouldn't have even noticed him in the midst of the dancing crowd. As the doors opened, she must have thought, 'Oh, that's just the way things are done around here. This is a dancing train.'
She didn’t need to hear a call to dance or logically ponder the reason why. She didn’t need to choose to break out of the awkwardness; the atmosphere just enabled it.
Welcome to the power of culture change.
We haven't seen Peter in a while. He is no longer the focus of attention. Instead, he darts amongst the crowd, encouraging, high-fiving, and pushing others forward to be the centre of the party.
The scene of a grey and lifeless lonely commute is wiped away by the chattering buzz of strangers engaging, chatting, dancing and loving the moment.
Later, Peter tells the Huffington Post, "We had a 60-year-old woman jump up out of her seat and exclaim, 'THIS IS GREATT!!!, DO YOU DO THIS OFTEN!?'"
Maybe we all should.
How do you change a culture?
As disciples of Jesus we are called to positively influence the environment we find ourselves in. Over the year’s I've read a lot of books, articles, and theories about culture change, but this 3 minute video tops them all. It is better than an MBA.
Do you long to know how to change the atmosphere…
In your home?
In your local church?
In your workplace?
In the whole world?
Then you need to understand how to start a dance party on a train.
There is always a brave initiator
Someone has to step out and paint a clear vision. It could be “let’s start a dance party” or it could be “let’s change the world.” Make sure you deal with the barriers and myths (like, oh this guy just wants money) to engagement. It takes one person willing to look awkward, break the status quo, and show others what is possible. Where is your train carriage?
There are always early adopters
Find these early adopters; encourage them, empower them, and help them take ownership of the vision. Don’t lock things into you. Point them to the bigger picture. Everyone needs a clear call to action to engage with the vision. Invite people to move and groove. Use something they know (like James Brown) to introduce them to something new. How might you offer a simple initial action, such as clapping hands, before the larger challenge of getting up and dancing?
There will always be detractors
Like the woman who refused to dance, not everyone will embrace the culture you want to bring. But it is up to us to keep our arms open, even when others keep theirs folded tight. It can be all too easy to try to amend our vision, shift our goal, or water-down our endgame, to try and please people like this. But in the end you realise they would never have been happy with anything in the first place. The tipping point of culture change comes when these people stick out like a sore thumb. They either start grooving or leave the train. Will you keep dancing?
There will always come a breakthrough
As we step out in faith, hope, and love, it is possible to make a difference where we are. We can create cultures that people step into and begin to operate in a new and dynamic way. We can influence ‘the way things are done around here…' by the way we live our lives. We can create the new normal. Will you be that brave initiator?
A culture constantly evolves...which is why it must be nurtured. Simon Sinek
Just like Jesus pioneered a new kingdom, calling his early adopters to action, overcoming his detractors, and ushering in a lasting breakthrough, so we can go and do the same.
All we have to do is start dancing!
Watch the full 3 minute video here… it is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
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A Note from Dave
Talking of parties…
I would love to invite you to join the Online Launch Party for Parallel Faith. You can even watch it on a train if you like!
Click below to grab yourself a FREE limited ticket to the LIVE online event on October 2nd. Join hosts Matt and Amy Summerfield along with special guests including Literary Agent Don Pape for a fun filled online evening of interviews, insights and inspiration, in celebration of the launch of the book.
Absolutely brilliant post! I lead the student work at our church in Cardiff and I just shared this with the other student leaders. We haven’t been planning a dance party but we are planning to drop some sofas and play some music outside the students union next week to set a welcoming atmosphere as students arrive. In this article you’ve encapsulated my hopes and raised my expectations for next week - thanks! If it turns into a campus dance party I’ll let you know 😂
Love this! Atmosphere is contagious isn’t it? 😄🙌🏻 And continuing to dance when one person disapproved was a good parallel too. Now I feel I’ve used your word wrongly! Haha (Ps. the ringtone on my phone, Uptown Funk, is enough to make me wait to pick up and dance-I don’t think I’d take much convincing to party on a train.😆)