Published: 07:00 AM, Fri Oct 30, 2009
'Thriller' zombies spook the Sandhills
By Rodger Mullen
Staff writer
SOUTHERN PINES - Robin Myers was making the ultimate sacrifice for her zombie craft.
"Wednesday is my line-dancing night," she said, "but I'm forgoing that for 'Thriller.' "
So on a chilly, rainy night at Gold's Gym, Myers practiced the shoulder shrugs, foot stomps and all the other moves that go into creating the dancing undead.
As a member of the dance troupe, Thrill in the Sandhills, Myers was recreating the zombie dance that Michael Jackson made famous in the video for his 1982 song, "Thriller."
The dancers practiced their steps, following the recorded instructions: "Slide, slide, slide, stop. Hold and point, hold and point. Left, right, stomp, two, three, four, five, six."
Once they've got all the kinks worked out, the troupe will perform the zombie dance Saturday before a Halloween screening of the 1925 silent movie classic "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Sunrise Theater.
They will be in full "Thriller" makeup, of course.
This will be the second year that dance instructor Rae Anne Kinney has trained a pack of zombies.
Last year, Kinney was looking for a way to help raise money for the theater program at Pinecrest High School, which her son was involved in. Some of the money raised went to breast cancer awareness.
Kinney, who teaches a "body jam" dance class at Gold's Gym, learned about the dance from a Web site, thrilltheworld.com. The site breaks down the moves and offers DVDs and video and audio clips to learn the dance.
The site promotes an annual "Thrill the World" event in which groups worldwide are encouraged to do the "Thriller" dance simultaneously. Thrill in the Sandhills performed as part of that event last year.
The groundbreaking "Thriller" video, directed by John Landis, depicts a young Michael Jackson and his girlfriend out on a date. They walk into the woods when their car runs out of gas.
Jackson and his girlfriend decide to go steady, but he warns her he's "different." She finds out just how different when a full moon appears and Jackson transforms into a werewolf-like character.
In the second half of the video, Jackson leads a pack of zombies that have risen from the grave in an undead line dance of sorts. That's the part of the video the Thrill in the Sandhills troupe reproduces.
Kinney said the relative ease of the dance's movements - these are plodding zombies, after all - make it a natural even for people who don't consider themselves good dancers.
"You'd be surprised how many people can learn this dance," Kinney said. "A lot of the dance moves are real sloppy steps, because you're supposed to be a zombie."
Tim Lussier, a volunteer with Sunrise Theater, said he heard about the dance troupe and wanted to make it a part of this year's Halloween celebration at the Southern Pines theater. A costume contest also will be held as part of the evening.
"We wanted to make the silent movie at the Sunrise more than just a movie," Lussier said. He said the performance harkens back to the Sunrise's origins, when a vaudeville performance would often precede a movie.
It's safe to say, though, that none of those performances involved choreographed zombies.
Once a week, Kinney gathers her zombies-in-training together at Gold's Gym to hone their moves. Recently, about a dozen dancers - all women - gathered in a mirrored room to practice.
The women ranged in age from their teens to their 50s. They wore black "Thrill the Sandhills" T-shirts, sweat pants and sneakers as they practiced the routine.
The dancers said they were there because they love to dance, love Michael Jackson, or both.
Lauren Clark, 14, said the "Thriller" dance sounded like fun. And, she added, "I had nothing else to do because kick boxing hadn't started yet."
While Lauren said she likes some of Jackson's music, she doesn't consider herself a big fan. But she has always enjoyed the "Thriller" video.
"I would just randomly bust out dancing to it," Lauren said.
Ashanti Walther, 37, has an important role in the dance. She plays the part of Michael Jackson.
"It fell in my lap," Walther said during a break in practice. "They couldn't find somebody else, someone younger and more agile."
Despite her central role, Walther said she didn't think learning the dance would be a problem.
"If you're a kid from the '80s like I am," she said, "you know what the moves are and where they need to go."
The workout left Janice Phillips, 57, winded. "There should be an age limit on this," she said, wiping her sweat away with a towel.
But Phillips, who is Robin Myers' sister, said she was determined to see the practice schedule through and perform the undead routine on Halloween.
The zombie makeup should help, she said.
"I'm going to pile it on," Phillips said. "I'll have so much latex on my face that no one will have a clue who I am."
Staff writer Rodger Mullen can be reached at mullenr@fayobserver.com or 486-3561.
online
To see video of the Thrill in the Sandhills group, go to www.fayobserver.com.
coming saturday
What: The 1925 silent movie "The Phantom of the Opera'' will be presented with musical accompaniment by Chicago pianist and composer David Drazin. The movie will be preceded by a performance of the "Thriller" dance by Thrill in the Sandhills. After the movie, prizes for best costume will be awarded.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St. in Southern Pines.
Tickets: $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12 and are available at Etix.com. Call (910) 783-5109 or go to www.sunrisetheater.com.
'Thriller' Facts
"Thriller" was released Dec. 2, 1983. It is one of the longest music videos ever made at just under 14 minutes.
The music video for the single ' Thriller ' was the most expensive video of its time, costing $800,000.
It won a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Video, Long Form.
Rolling Stone ranks the "Thriller" album No. 20 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.