A VIDEO of the internet dance craze the Harlem Shake at the Newport Centre is creating a viral sensation of its own.

The film of the dance, staged at the Welsh Open Snooker tournament has gathered over 200,000 hits since it was uploaded on Saturday.

The routine normally starts with a solitary dancer, and here, a man with wearing a crash helmet walks among the crowd followed by a spotlight.

Giving lie to the notion that snooker is a staid affair, the hall then explodes into furious dancing. Announcer Rob Walker throws exuberant punches in the air, but the referee, other match officials and the cameraman also dance with gusto.

The flash mob was staged before Saturday’s Welsh Open semi-final between Stephen Maguire and world number two Judd Trump. Maguire beat Trump 6-4 to book a place in the final.