Museum aims to win worldwide dance off

An ‘‘hallucinogenic’’ dance video by South Canterbury Museum staff is aiming to put Timaru on the map.

The museum has put together a video for the International Museum Dance Off, a competition between museum staff around the world where the best dance video wins by popular vote.

‘‘We have no idea how it will go, but what we’re hoping is anyone in the world will get behind us,’’ South Canterbury Museum director Philip Howe said.

The video, which was intended to have a ‘‘vague and hallucinogenic’’ feel, is set to Ballroom Blitz by Sweet. It involves museum staff, volunteers, and young children from the Museum Explorers’ Club.

Howe said his favourite thing about the project was working with 20 children keen to dance.

‘‘They were right into it,’’ Howe said.

The museum went for a ‘‘humorous angle’’ with its video and people had already commented saying it was very funny, he said.

‘‘No-one said this is the best dancing they’ve ever seen, but we don’t care.’’

Most of the filming took place shortly after the museum closed or on a Saturday morning.

An iPhone was used for filming and an iPad for editing, taking about five hours in total.

Howe said the team finished the video just before the March 26 deadline.

‘‘Nothing like a hurry things up.’’

The museum spent nothing putting the video together.

‘‘It was all sort of DIY. deadline to ‘‘We just wanted to give it a go.’’ Howe said the first voting round, which is between the five New Zealand entrants, would be open on the website www.whenyouworkatamuseum.com all day April 17.

‘‘For 24 hours anyone in the world can vote as many times as they want,’’ he said.

There were 48 entrants from multiple countries, including Ukraine and Canada.