Do you have what it takes to terrorize y’all’s neighborhood and spread the funk of forty thousand years in a “Thriller” flash mob?
Dance Baltimore founder and director Cheryl Goodman and her team of instructors will be teaching classic choreography from the iconic music video (with slight modifications) in just one session.
Dancers of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and experience levels are invited to participate to honor the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, during spooky season.
Goodman told Baltimore Fishbowl that the “Thriller” flash mobs began for her in 2009 when she learned of Ines Markeljevic, who in 2006 had wanted to break a record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most people doing the same dance at the same time — previously held by the Hokey Pokey. Markeljevic created a website called Thrill the World, and while the Guinness Book only allowed for attempts taking place in one location, she contacted other world record organizations who would allow a world-wide attempt at one time.
Baltimore’s participation began in 2009 thanks to Goodman and Dance Baltimore, and the plan was to perform the dance outside at Harborplace, but weather forced them indoors. Dance Baltimore held classes to teach the dance ahead of time.
“We had so many people show up, all ages, all backgrounds,” Goodman recalled. “We had Muslim ladies in all the garb, and we had some real tough gangsta looking guys that came in with all the heavy chains. We were scared for a second, but they did the moves! It was really crazy. And like, even little kids who were not even born when Michael Jackson was at his peak!”
Since the forecast called for rain and Goodman was working for the Hippodrome at the time, she asked the director if they could use one of the rooms there. Coincidentally, the theater also had a play that night, so Goodman’s 300+ performers — dressed and made up as zombies — rode the elevators with theatergoers, making for quite an interesting vibe.
Not all the performers learned the dance moves with Goodman and her instructors. Some learned it from the video, and others learned it in other locations, but they all learned it for the purposes of showing up to perform together for this Thrill the World experience.
Every year since then, Goodman has continued to teach the dance around Halloween, and generally gets requests to perform it somewhere.
“I think we’ve done it downtown, just like in the middle of [the street] on a corner,” Goodman said. “We did it on Federal Hill one time…. We did it at the Cylburn Arboretum, for some kind of youth Halloween event where I think we sort of scared the little kids because we came out of the bushes. But generally, it’s a lighthearted, fun kind of thing for most people. So, we’ve just done it a variety of places, and have had such a wide variety of people who really go all out in their costuming.”
Goodman said they even did it during the pandemic by posting the steps online and asking people to film videos of themselves doing the dance for a virtual performance.
This year, Dance Baltimore has been asked by two different organizations to perform a flash mob Thriller dance. Goodman says the dance is easy, and they’ve made minor modifications to the choreography because the original is a little long and challenging for beginner dancers. But she promises the basics of it are still easily recognizable and that it is the same classic piece overall.
People ages 8 and older (no dance experience required!) interested in participating can attend one of the classes listed below. If a studio as a whole would like to learn it, Dance Baltimore can send an instructor to teach it to their class(es).
The performances will be in conjunction with ongoing Halloween-related events in downtown Baltimore on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m., and Thursday, Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. Dancers will be in full zombie attire.
Lessons are scheduled on the following dates/locations:
- Saturday, September 21, 11 a.m. – noon, Creativity Center, 3137 Eastern Ave., Highlandtown – FREE
- Tuesday, September 24, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Creativity Center, 3137 Eastern Ave., Highlandtown – $5
- Thursday, September 26, 7 – 8 p.m., The Promenade Dance Studio, 2605 Lord Baltimore Drive, Windsor Mill – $5
- Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Creativity Center, 3137 Eastern Ave., Highlandtown – $5
Advanced registration is required for the classes, and is available by clicking this link.
