Ballet dancers returned to perform in the streets of Mexico City Saturday, entertaining motorists and pedestrians alike with crosswalk performances between light changes.

The dance company Ardentía is behind the initiative, intended to brighten the day of drivers on congested city streets.

Their 58-second performances — that’s how long they have between traffic signal changes — consist of interpretations including Waltz of the Flowers, the Nutcracker Ballet, Swan Lake and even Michael Jackson’s Rock With Me.

Dancers converge on the sidewalk until the light turns red and then dash on to the crosswalk to complete their performance to the sound of a boombox connected to an iPod, much to the delight of onlookers.

“We never thought we’d have this much impact,” said dancer Manuela Ospina Castro.

At a location in the northwest of the city on Saturday, seven dancers offered seven distinct performances, each with its own choreography and costumes.

The performances began two weeks ago and will continue every weekend through September 2 at La Bombilla park, Tláhuac avenue, Tezozómoc avenue, México avenue, Marina Nacional and other locations. The dance troupe is working with the Mexico City Secretariat of Culture on the project, called Theatrics in Urban Spaces.

Source: AP (sp), Excélsior (sp)