A dance troupe flashmobbed a funeral with a performance of Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust at the request of a woman who wanted her sendoff to be memorable but not sad.
Video of the event showed some mourners looking confused when four dancers emerged from pews midway through the funeral of Sandie Wood, from Bristol in south west England, before they got into the spirit of the moment and started clapping along to the rock anthem.
Sandie Wood, aged 65, had requested the stunt as part of a funeral that also included her sparkly high-heeled shoes and handbags being displayed alongside her pink coffin. The words “Going out in style” were written on the coffin.
Speaking to the BBC, her friend Sam Ryalls, said: “She wanted everyone to remember her funeral but not for sad reasons. She left the world as she lived it and that was being herself.”
Claire Phipps, one of the dancers, told the BBC that “flashmobbing a funeral was a bit daunting”. But she added: “It was also really exciting because it was different to what we normally do. We had to sit through half the service along with everyone else with our coats on – so that was quite nerve-racking.
“And then when the music came on, nobody had a clue what’s going to happen and then obviously we had to jump up and do our routine. So it was scary, but a memory that we’ll never forget. And it was a lot of fun.”