Graduation video is a YouTube hit

A video to celebrate and promote Teesside University’s forthcoming graduation ceremonies has had thousands of hits on YouTube in just a week.

The video ‘Now that’s what I call graduation’ has had over four-and-a-half thousand views as net surfers view a graduation ceremony like no other.

Watch the video on YouTube

A group of graduates line up on the stage at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Instead of joining family and friends in the audience they abandon their mortar boards and graduation gowns as music erupts and burst into an energetic dance sequence, which includes break dancing and cartwheels.

Inspired by the dance, the Vice-Chancellor and lecturers on stage take to their feet and join in with their own unique style. The astonished Vice-Chancellor then concludes the dance and staggers to the podium to continue with the ceremony.

University of the Year The ceremony isn’t a reality however, it’s all part of the video produced to promote and celebrate Graduation 2009 – the first since the University was named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education awards.

The dancing graduates are all students from the University’s dance degree, the Vice-Chancellor is played by Ronan Patterson, Head of Performing Arts and the lecturers are played by performing arts students and some of the University’s staff.

The video was produced the University’s School of Arts & Media with the dance music composed by a student, Christian Onwochei, who is in the first year of the BSc (Hons) Music Technology degree.

Alison Ferst, Web Content Manager said: 'We wanted to promote graduation at the University in a lively and fun way. Our graduates have done the hard work and now it is time for them to celebrate as the first graduates of the University of the Year.'

The University’s graduation ceremonies take place from 23 to 27 November. The ceremonies are being held over five days for the first time, with 3,000 graduating students and 9,000 guests. For more details see the University’s microsite at www.tees.ac.uk/graduation

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