T H I L L E R N I G H T !!!
- mj
- Jan 21, 2024
- 6 min read
Photo Source
What is it about Halloween that I love so much? What is it that makes me feel so ALIVE?!
I can honestly go on forever. This holiday calls to my creative spirit like no other holiday. I think it’s the fact that EVERYONE puts their creativity on display, whether you’re a fanatic like me, or if you’re just tagging along with a friend wearing only a mask. This is the one day- aside from Comic Con- that everyone collectively put aside their inhibitions, paranoia, self-consciousness- even just for a few hours- and puts forward their own creative side no matter how minimal or maximal the effort.
While Halloween is only one day, this holiday spans the weekend before, the week of, and sometimes even the weekend after for me. You’ll find me at costume contests, Halloween parties… this year I was 4 different things! But on Halloween itself, the parade is an absolute MUST for me.
One thing I've looked forward to year after year is the Thriller float. My friends are probably sick of hearing me say over and over again “OH MY GOSH it’s the Thriller dancers!! I have to learn the dance! I have to dance with them one year!! That would be SO AMAZING!!!” and year after year I would say the same thing, with a serious case of FOMO. But the thing is, I never knew how to become a Thriller dancer or if I could even be one, until my genius brain just googled it the day after the parade in 2022.
And there it was. The website- THRILLERNYC.COM
I started freaking out.
OH MY GOSH is this ACTUALLY the Thriller Dance site, or is this a scam? Can I really sign up here to join them? Is it really that easy?
Of course since it was the day AFTER Halloween, there were no tickets to purchase… but do you know that I left this tab open on my phone and my computer THE ENTIRE YEAR until October 2023? Damn right I did.
And when the time came to purchase a ticket, I jumped faster than I ever had in my life, (still partially worried if it was a scam, but worth the risk) and before I knew it, I was a zombie!! Good thing too, because the tickets were completely sold out in 20 minutes.
I called my family. I called my friends. I told my neighbors. I told the guy at my laundromat. I told my BOSS. I told everyone I knew. I was so excited, and I just couldn’t hide it.
THE REHEARSALS, MY COSTUME, AND MAKEUP
There were 2 dance rehearsals so we could actually learn the dance (which was slightly different from the video) one was indoors and the other was outdoors. Since we were going to follow the float, we had to do the dance moving forwards with the parade, while staying in line with the other dancers around us. We were vulnerable to cold, rainy weather for the 2nd rehearsal- but thankfully the weather cooperated with us the night of the parade. Oh, and we had to be prepared to do the dance 25-30 times back to back since the chorus would be on loop for the entire length of the parade. I’m not gonna lie I was a little intimidated by this, but I was so honored and excited just to be a part of it, there was no turning back.
I would practice the dance at home after work, after meetings, on weekends, while I cleaned, cooked, showered lol, etc. The night before I stayed up soooo late ripping and zombie-fying my Amelia Earhart costume and covering it with paint, fake blood, and dirt. But another thing that snuck up on me last minute- how in the world do I make myself look like a zombie? This was my first time playing around with liquid latex, face paint, and fake blood, so that was fun to put on.. but not so easy to take off! I had some stains on my face from the fake blood for a few days and dry patches from the liquid latex, but it was WORTH IT and I’d do it again in a heartbeat- or no heartbeat, since I'm a zombie ;)
THE PARADE
The night of, I had a bit of anxiety and nerves, but I was so excited and couldn’t believe what I was about to do. As I got off the train and found my way through the maze of sidewalk/street closures, and asked a few cops how to get to our meeting spot, I flashed my handy-dandy “Thriller Dancer” pass and met up with my fellow zombies.
Our float arrived later on and separately, while we waited along the side for the other floats that were ahead of us to join the parade, so we practiced the dance a few times with no music. The vibe was infectious, contagious, positive, exciting and ALL THINGS THRILLER! Our float came down the street towards us, we were all lined up, I was fangirling and smiling so much that some of my liquid latex fake wounds were starting to peel off LMAO!
As soon as our float came and was in front of us, we all sprang into zombie mode and started dancing. The crowds were all looking forward to seeing us, everyone was recording on their phones. Some random guy in a bear costume even jumped in front of me and started trying to do the dance, until he was yanked away by one of the zombie bouncers. Yes- we had those too.
Around West 4th Street, one of the most iconic scenes and photos from this portion of the parade is taken with the Freedom Tower right in the background, lit up in Halloween colors. Also, this is where NY1 was posted to broadcast our dance, which my grandfather recorded lol. I broke zombie character for 2 seconds to make sure I waived at the camera for him.
We did the dance another several blocks, and each time the crowds were so excited and looked forward to seeing us. After the parade, we all met up at a bar for a Thriller Dancer afterparty, with free food catered for us, and we did the dance a few more times. This was truly an unforgettable night.
The Thriller Zombie Fam
Meeting the other dancers was such a pleasure, it was a huge group of diverse individuals, all ages, and we loved the song and of course had a deep admiration for Michael Jackson. Another thing that really made me proud to be a part of this was the fact that everyone who puts this together every year is a VOLUNTEER! Nobody gets paid to teach us the dance, supervise or manage anything, etc. so this was all done out of love for Michael Jackson and keeping his legacy alive, and pride for the Halloween Parade. The prices we paid for our tickets to become dancers went towards renting the rehearsal spaces, permit fees, parade proceeds, music, the float, etc. and just knowing all these people gathered and offered to put this together JUST BECAUSE, gave me a whole new sense of appreciation for this parade and all of the time, work, and effort that goes into it. I felt very humbled to be there with them.
This was such an amazing experience; I can’t see myself not doing this every year now. I had so much fun and have so much pride dancing with this group and being a part of such an iconic moment in my favorite parade, on my favorite holiday. This experience adds a whole new meaning to the Thriller song for me in general; now I have the nostalgia to go with it when I tell my family about it.
I couldn’t believe- and I still can’t believe- I was able to make one of my dreams finally come true.. and who knew how easy it was? I literally just googled something and it brought me one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life, and an amazing group of friends. It reminds me that all my other dreams really are that achievable… I just have to reach out and grab them.
So what’s next with my Thriller fam?
Hmm…. This secret I’ll take to the grave…
You’ll just have to stay tuned ;)