By Kate Bartlett
Saturday October 25th, The Thriller Dancers return to the streets of Ellicottville outside of Villaggio for their 10th annual ‘flash mob’ style performance. 62 dancers will perform 2 sets on Monroe Street decked out as their best Zombie to recreate Michael Jackson’s 1983 smash hit music video Thriller. As always, the shows are free and open to the public and will take place at 8pm and 9pm.
The Thriller Dancers are from Fusion Dance Studio led by owner Kelli Wagner, Shari Bently, and many other talented instructors. The dancers range in age from 7-18 years old. Every year, the dancers make their performance better than the year before. “The main choreography stays true to the well-known Michael Jackson moves,” says Kelli. “We add our own unique choreography and acrobatics throughout the song to keep it exciting; we like to change it up year to year.”
The Thriller Dancers have been performing this dance in October in Ellicottville for 9 years. For many dancers, this is their first performance in front of a live crowd, and this performance is like none-other. “It’s such an incredible experience for the dancers,” says Kelli. “Performing in full-zombie character, on the street in the middle of the night; it’s just incredible. The crowd in Ellicottville is awesome, and they feel that energy.”
The dancers are encouraged to come up with their own unique zombie characters for the performance. “It’s incredible to see what they come up with. It just keeps getting better every year. Last year, we had a young dancer dress as a zombie Bills Fan with a broken heart from not winning the Super Bowl,” laughs Kelly. “They go all out with costumes and make up; it’s great to see their creativity shine. Dancing is an artful expression, and the costumes are a part of it.”
The competitive dancers begin practicing in early October, and put in an average of 6 hours per week rehearsing for the month leading up to the Thriller shows. The dancers have also learned a Haunted Manion dance with fun, unique choreography, but Thriller is the classic performance every year. “It’s an iconic song,” explains Kelli. “People love the nostalgia. It’s become a great tradition.”
The performers will again lead tutorials of the dance in between the 8:30 and 9:30 performances with prizes for participation. “We have a lot of fun and a lot of talented participants! We love getting the crowd involved and teaching them the classic Thriller moves. We all have a good time,” says Kelli.
Kelli’s favorite part of the event is watching the excitement of the performers and interacting with the crowd. “This is the first opportunity for many of our young dancers to perform outside of a studio in front of a live audience. It’s such a rewarding and exciting experience.” The Dancers have even gained international attention as they were featured on international news broadcasts, the Rockettes social media, and YouTube. “I’ve been humbled to meet people who’ve traveled from several states away just to see our performance.”
Fusion Dance Studio, located in Buffalo, NY, has won the Studio of Excellence Award for the 5th consecutive year. As an instructor, Kelli is enthusiastic about teaching dance and choreography, but is passionate about heling her dancers practice kindness. “I love dance and instructing, but what I’m most proud of is teaching them to be incredible human beings and the best version of themselves.”
The studio is active in community fundraising efforts, including annual Animal Relief Funds and helping clean up the community.
For more information on Fusion Dance Studio visit fusiondancestudio.org and follow on social media. Come experience their unique performance on Saturday, October 25th at 8 and 9pm outside of Villaggio on Monroe Street.