When it comes to Halloween music, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is one of the most widely-known songs. Part of the surge in popularity came from a masterful music video from director John Landis (known for An American Werewolf in London, The Blues Brothers, and Animal House). The 13+ minute video tells a chilling tale, features special effects makeup & costumes, and has phenomenal choreography from Michael Peters.
In 2023, CNN posted a detailed article about the video and its iconic Thriller dance. In the interview, Vinent Paterson, the video’s assistant choreographer described why he believes the dance continues to endure – even after 40+ years, “People don’t have to look like trained dancers to have fun with the movement… If we see somebody put their two hands like claws up from one side to the other, we immediately go, ‘Oh, Thriller!’”
The song itself was changed for the video and choreography. The original recording is only about 6 minutes long, less than half of the length of the music video. To allow extra time for the dance sequence, the song was expanded with the disco beat looped again and again. The music video version of the song also forgoes the standard verse-chorus format, building up to a single chorus at the end after a minute and a half of dancing.
All this creates a strikingly memorable piece with iconic choreography. Take a look for yourself:
There are many tutorials across the internet and social media on how to do the Thriller Dance.
For a step-by-step written breakdown, check out this post on WikiHow. The post also details how to get the look and the best places to perform.
If you prefer a video tutorial, I recommend the ones below. Instructor Robert Taylor Jr. breaks down the steps into segments and repeats it a few times at varying speeds to help you follow along. My only criticism is that due to copyright, his videos don’t actually use the real song – but once you learn the moves, you can dance along on your own.
When it comes to Halloween music, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is one of the most widely-known songs. Part of the surge in popularity came from a masterful music video from director
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