It’s the shuffle and hop after the “booty bounce” that keeps tripping me up. Fortunately, I’m not the only one who feels this way.
“So, do we begin the shuffle on the right or left foot?” the man in front asks, tugging at the back of his sweaty shirt. The 10 of us stand in two staggered lines out in Virginia Avenue Park in Santa Monica. We face the parking lot and in front of us is a giant cardboard sign with a message written in “spooky” Halloween colors: “Learn the “˜Thriller’ dance!”
“Right foot,” our instructor, Mahdroo, asserts and smiles. All of a sudden, his face drops. “I think.” He does the move himself. I can’t believe how quickly he can do this.
Mahdroo participated in San Diego-area practices of the “Thriller” dance last year and loved the experience so much that he studied to become a Los Angeles-area instructor via watching the original music video. He doesn’t quite have the Michael Jackson smoothness, but his footing looks right and he’s definitely in time. Besides, he’s doing this all for free. He doesn’t need to have everything down perfectly.
Cynics like to comment on how psychologically disturbed Mr. Jackson is, and sure, a musician’s character affects the way his music sounds (see Jackson’s last album flop, “Invincible”). But ultimately, enjoying Michael Jackson’s music is as easy as watching a popcorn flick or enjoying a tall glass of root beer; it’s infectious, accessible and fun.
As we continue forward, one couple insists that they need beers and another few of people simply have their non-dancer lives to resume, so our numbers dwindle. But even as it starts to drizzle on a dreary Saturday afternoon, this is showtime and we’re practicing these moves as if we were going to be Michael’s backup dancers tomorrow.
However, we’re learning “Thriller” perhaps for an even better reason; Mahdroo is the L.A.-area coordinator for a larger volunteer organization called Thrill the World. Teams of Thrill the World representatives from 88 cities around the world (yes, world) lead practices and organize performance events so that those involved can break the Guinness World Record for “largest simultaneous “˜Thriller’ dance.” Mahdroo estimates that about 100 to 200 L.A.-area dancers (read: zombies) will show up at the Hollywood and Highland community center on Saturday to perform the dance at the same time as thousands of others around the world.
Now don’t mention that one viral video with the Thai prisoners dancing “Thriller” to Mahdroo. While about 100 prisoners were performing together in the video, only about 30 great dancers in the center of the group did all of Michael’s original dance movies. The others only did what is known as “the zombie march.” Thrill the World, on the other hand, must comply with the Guinness rules such that everyone involved must perform all of Michael Jackson’s original moves and perform the song for the exact length of time it lasts on the album.
It’s tiring, but Michael Jackson’s moves are infectious and, not to mention, exhilarating to perform. This is a dance that somehow never ceases to be seen as exciting, revolutionary, and, let’s face it, hip.
A part of me has always wished that I could break out into a spontaneous group song-and-dance, where everyone knows the moves perfectly, and we can narrate our lives through expressive, joyful music. This is the closest opportunity that I’ll get.
After Mahdroo retraces his steps, he takes a swig of water and nods. “Yep. Definitely right foot. You guys want to try it again?”
Everyone but one of my friends, an energetic theater student who, of course, does stuff like this all the time and is barely working up a sweat, chimes an enthusiastic “yes.” While I’m a little tired, my endorphins keep telling me, “Come on, Jenae! Keep going! This is thriller night, baby!”
So, I, too, voice my desire to try it one more time from the top. (I’ve, of course, received some exhausted glares from the people around me who arrived earlier than me and my tardy college-student friends.)
This is a motley group, with one young couple there to learn the moves for a friend’s wedding, another woman there simply to get some exercise, and an Israeli couple there for their love of Michael Jackson’s music. No one acts the cynic and insists upon mentioning pedophilia or making Neverland Ranch jokes; everyone’s just here to dance.
Now all I have to do is master my zombie march.
If want to start a similar project for the “Monster Mash,” e-mail Cohn at jcohn@media.ucla.edu.