“Puttin’” (not Putin) “On The Ritz” In Moscow

Rifftides reader Mack Parkhill called our attention to a Flash Mob video featuring a huge number of Muscovites having more fun than may be legal in Russia, dancing to the most joyous and metrically challenging song Irving Berlin (pictured) ever composed. Mr. Parkhill writes,

“The dancing was filmed on Moscow’s “overlook” in Sparrow Hills. Looking down from the overlook you see the largest stadium in Russia (140,000 capacity). The ski jump is for practice and training. If you make a mistake, you end up in the river below. The church at the end opposite the ski jump is Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church. The large building on the opposite side of the road beside the overlook is the Moscow State University. The top of the tall center tower has one of the Kremlin stars.

“Try not to smile as you watch this. You will. “Puttin On The Ritz,” in Moscow, no less! What a crazy, delightful, ever-changing world. Who could have thought that in 2012 young people in Moscow would put on a flash mob happening, dancing to an 83-year-old (now 89-year-old) American song by Irving Berlin, a Russian-born American Jew?”

Evidently, this clip has been around awhile. If you have seen it before, we offer no apology. See it again. Feel free to dance. Thanks to Mack Parkhill. Thanks to Irving Berlin.