Photo: Courtesy of Gulf News Archive

Michael Jackson fans have been paying tribute to the late American pop legend by staging flash mob performances of his dance moves across the world.

The latest flash mob gathering took place last weekend in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong when several fans started dancing to the music of "Beat It" and were quickly joined by dozens of others. They imitated Jackson's signature, arm-swinging, finger-snapping movement and yelled "beat it" when the song reached its refrain. Less than two minutes later, the crowd dispersed, walking away as if nothing had happened.

Since the singer's death on 25 June 2009 at the age of 50, these flash mob dance-offs have been springing up worldwide: from Paris and Stockholm to San Francisco and Montreal; from London's Liverpool Street Station to Amsterdam's Vondelpark. Organised virally through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, fans learn Jackson's routine during a 30-minute rehearsal before performing it at a pre-arranged place and time as though spontaneously.

Watch video of Hong Kong flash mob here.