Anyone else participating in Thrill the World 2009?

[GalateaDancer]

I am so excited to finally be taking part in Thrill the World this year. We just happen to be having a big Belly Dance show the evening of October 24th, and the organizer decided that we should do our part right in the middle of the show. At 7:30pm CST, performers, students, friends and family will take the floor and perform the Thriller choreography - it's going to be so awesome!

I started learning the choreo yesterday, and got about 50% through it. I'm amazed that people who don't usually dance take part; I'm finding it really challenging in some parts! I have to say as someone who teaches choreography on a regular basis, though, that the website videos are fantastically done.

Any other snopesters getting there zombie on this year?

[ElectricBarbarella]

If you see my FB, our local Thrill has exactly 400 participants signed up. It'll happen at the Pier in St. Petersburg and all the local news will be covering it.

I may sign on to help with the events, but cannot be a dancer. It's too late for that anyway.

However, I have started teaching my kids the dance. They wanted to learn.

[LizzyBean]

There's one in a town near us, but not on in proper Columbus that I can find. I totally want to do this!

[Squishy0405]

I tried looking up the one here in Nashville, but the Myspace listed hasn't been logged on in months. Maybe I'll email, but I have a lot of things to sort out, although fun is always welcome!

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

I'm pretty sure Tootsie and her husband are participating.

Seaboe

[Tootsie Plunkette]

Seaboe is correct. Seattle Thrillers will be at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, at 5:30 pm on October 24, if anyone wants to come watch us. It's also not too late to learn, and participate -- if I can do this, anyone can. Info for Seattle Thrillers, and times and places of classes, here.

My personal hint to help you learn: download the audios of the music with cueing, and listen repeatedly until you can 'chant' along without thinking about it (I play it in my car). Note, this won't make much sense if you haven't already watched the teaching videos and/or attended a class, it's just to help you remember the order of the choreography without having to stop and think.

FYI for those unfamiliar with Thrill the World - this is not the same thing as the dance on the original Thriller video. We dance through the entire song from start to finish. The steps are the same as the video, but sections are repeated and rearranged in some instances. This is due in part to the requirements imposed by Guinness for a world record.

[GalateaDancer]

I am so excited that my entire student troupe wants to take part as well. Since we meet weekly for rehearsals anyway, we're going to go over Thriller as well the next two weeks.

I guess the only sad part is that we can't do the zombie makeup, because we'll already have to be made up and in costume for the show. But hopefully some of the non-performers who are participating will do a little zombification.

[GalateaDancer]

My progress so far http://www.4shared.com/file/14022823...er_take_1.html

It took me about 7 hours total to get to this point. DD, who is 12 and has been in dance classes since she was 4 years old, learned it in under 2 hours!

I'm still working with the cued music, but my goal is to be 100% comfortable with the non-cued music by the 24th. *fingers crossed*