Tin Foil Dancers (or, The Day the Aliens Danced)

We were transfixed. The late afternoon sun glinted off their gossamer wings, and water drops from the nearby splash pad twinkled in the air, so that it appeared we were viewing them through a magical mist. They weren’t identical; some were in full body suits and some in little more than a bathing suit – but with the tin foil hats and liberally applied glitter, it came across as if each outfit had been carefully coordinated, perhaps for full effect during the dance.

The haunting sounds of their music drew us in, until it was almost painful to look away. Even dogs being walked through the park seemed as bewitched as their owners. It was a scene we’d never witnessed before, and were not likely to do so again. It somehow seemed important to imprint every moment into our memories; the sights, the sounds, the sorcery. Yes, we were indeed transfixed.

So transfixed, that not one of us thought to take a photo.

It was late August, 2014. My friend and I were entertaining some visitors from the USA and from elsewhere in Ontario. We had taken them down to Toronto’s waterfront to enjoy the warm sunshine and fresh breeze off the lake as we strolled along the boardwalk.

We happened across a location shoot for the TV show “Beauty and the Beast”, and settled in for a while to watch the proceedings. Although most of the filming was taking place inside a nearby building, there was some set up occurring outside for a later sequence. At this point my friend had to leave for a while to attend to a family matter, but we were having such a pleasant day that the rest of us said we’d simply stay in the area to await her return.

Wandering down to a small public park across from the building, we sat on benches under a little grove of trees, content to pass the time by chatting and watching kids play in the cooling water of the park’s splash pad.

And then…it began.

We saw a gathering of people – perhaps 15 or so, adult men and women – at the far end of the splash pad. They’d arrived almost unnoticed…as if they had simply appeared out of thin air. They were dressed oddly:  in mismatched shiny body suits, leotards, and bathing suits; skin sparkling with glitter, or perhaps it was some sort of body paint. Many of them had what could only be called wings, made out of a delicate, filmy material attached to their clothing. (Or maybe…coming through their clothing?)

One of their party was standing on a ledge with a large portable music player, seemingly in charge; directing them to stand in different places as he started the music. For half a second we wondered if they were part of the TV shoot…but it was quickly apparent that wasn’t the case; the nearby crew looked as confused by the spectacle as we were. As was everyone else in the area: even hurried passersby stopped to look, gaping in fascination.

So the next logical assumption was that it was some sort of rehearsal for a dance troupe or performance art group. No doubt that’s what many of the others around us thought.

But we knew the truth:  Aliens.

You see, most of the dancers were wearing full or partial helmets made out of tin foil (or what appeared to our human eyes to be tin foil), crudely constructed in a fashion which clashed garishly with the delicacy of the costumes. Yes, yes I know – tin foil headwear is supposed to be worn by humans to prevent aliens from reading their thoughts, not the other way around. But there’s nothing to say it couldn’t work in reverse. Maybe it even allowed them to create one giant hive-mind…the result of which was this strange, yet alluring dance: at first glance, they didn’t even seem to be interacting; each one weaving and undulating with no apparent correlation to each other or the music. Arms and legs were raised and lowered in precise, slow moves. Wings appeared to move on their own, shimmering and alive.

The music was peculiar, and didn’t sound the slightest bit Earthly. (I’m sure this had nothing to do with the fact we could only hear bits and pieces of it above the sounds of the film crew and the busy nearby road.)

I texted my friend and told her to bring some tin foil back with her, just in case they intended to invade the planet – it might allow us to blend in. She thought we were kidding, then just our usual brand of crazy. (In any case, she didn’t bring it.)

The group themselves seemed completely oblivious to the stir they were causing. I have no idea how long it lasted; we honestly lost track of time, such was their hold over us.

Eventually the aliens began to disperse, without invading or – to our knowledge – taking over our bodies. That was when we realised that between the five of us, all armed to the teeth with smartphones and cameras, nobody had thought to take a photo.  Not even one. Obviously this was a result of the alien influence.

So we had nothing with which to prove our story.  Nothing to convince others that we weren’t crazy. Nothing to remind us how close we’d been to ET.

Or perhaps, we all just had mild sunstroke & extremely overactive imaginations. 

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This really did happen.  Yes, I told the tale somewhat tongue-in-cheek…but I promise I did not make any of it up or embellish either their appearance or the effect they had on anyone who saw them. (Although I admit to a slight bit of speculation when it comes to the alien connection… )
I spent ages over the ensuing days, Googling every description I could think of, and checking umpteen websites about local summer entertainment near the waterfront…or anywhere in the city for that matter; determined to figure out who or what group they might have been. I didn’t find a thing. 
Since those of us who were there have been making silly references to ‘Tin Foil Dancers’ on social media over the past months and completely confusing others, I decided it was time to write it all down.  Thank you for indulging me!