Maybe you’ve had the pleasure of stumbling upon a group of zombies dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” somewhere around Seattle. With their tattered clothes and sunken faces, they’re just the sort of wonderfully strange encounter I think we’re all secretly hoping for when we leave the house in October. These flash-mob-style performances can seem to come out of nowhere, but there’s a lot of preparation behind them, including weeks of rehearsals leading up to the group’s biggest show of the year.

Seattle Thrillers is part of Thrill the World, an annual event held the Saturday before Halloween, when dancers around the globe perform the famous zombie choreography simultaneously, coordinating their routines using Greenwich Mean Time. This year marks the 20th annual event, with 71 locations registered across eight countries, including Japan, Finland, Brazil, and Austria. The idea began in 2006, when Toronto dance instructor Ines Markeljevic organized a gathering of 62 dancers that set a Guinness World Record for the largest “Thriller” dance in one location. She took the event international the following year, and by 2009, it had grown to more than 22,000 dancers, with participating groups raising more than $100,000 for over 80 charities that year.

Seattle has been part of that global tradition since its first international event in 2007. Sheri Kinley joined the local group in 2008 and took over teaching and organizing the following year. In 2018, she became managing director of Thrill the World and later helped establish Seattle Thrillers as a nonprofit. Today, she’s the group’s board president and helps raise money for local charities through its year-round performances in the region. She’s done all this while working as a surgical technologist for 50 years, a career she’s now getting ready to retire from.

A member of Seattle Thrillers gets into the Halloween spirit at the group’s annual synchronized “Thriller” dance.

Courtesy of SuperClick Photography

“Members of our group consist of people from all walks of life, ranging from being down on their luck with no jobs to doctors, lawyers, engineers, and retirees,” Kinley says. Vice president and dancer Suzanne Simmons, for example, is a former Seattle Parks and Recreation grant writer who now teaches fitness and line dancing to seniors. Each September and October, the group holds rehearsals where newcomers and longtime members practice the choreography together. Everyone is welcome, regardless of dance experience, and participants have ranged from 4 to 84 years old. Those who can’t make it to rehearsals can also learn the choreography through online videos and join the group on the day of the event, as long as they know the routine.

The dance isn’t quite the one from the 1983 music video, originally choreographed by Michael Peters. Markeljevic adapted the moves for Thrill the World to make them easier for beginners to learn, extending the original two- to three-minute dance sequence into a six-minute routine that gives audiences more time to enjoy the spectacle.

“Thriller just creates another wonderful opportunity to come together,” says Seattle dancer Ramya Ranveer. “We come from different backgrounds and cultures, but we have so much in common.” Kinley says giving back to the community has helped keep her involved, as has the excitement of people discovering the dance for the first time. “Many times we’ve heard people say this has been on their bucket list,” she says.

On October 24, Seattle Thrillers will gather at Woodin Creek Village in Woodinville for the worldwide event. The festivities begin at 11 a.m., with music and children’s activities. The dance is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by a costume contest and trick-or-treating at village businesses. Donations will benefit the Woodinville Storehouse Food Bank.

I still remember the first time I came across Seattle Thrillers dancing in Edmonds many years ago. It was absolutely delightful and even a little moving. I’ve always been a sucker for people doing something fun and creative just for the joy of it—and a crowd of dancing zombies certainly qualifies. I might have to add joining them to my own bucket list.

Find the complete list of Thrill the World events, including performances in Friday Harbor and Skagit County.