Annual “Thriller” Flashmob pays tribute to late dance member
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- An annual Halloween dance tradition brought the Santa Barbara courthouse sunken gardens to life.
Zombie flash mobs have been taking over Santa Barbara for the last couple weeks performing coordinated dances to Michael Jackson’s iconic song “thriller.”
It’s all part of World Dance for Humanity’s mission to spread joy.
“Most of the people here today have never danced before. They've learned “Thriller” to just kind of foster community, foster the humanity between us and with the world,” said Executive Director World Dance for Humanity Janet Reineck.
Saturday afternoon Santa Barbara locals gathered at the courthouse to dance to a slew of famous Halloween songs.
“I just watched them do the “Monster Mash” which was pretty cute,” said Santa Barbara local Victoria Moraldo.
All these dances led up to a final grand flash mob for the song “Thriller,” which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
“It just is a hypnotic, incredible song. And with it, we're able to sort of let go of our egos and get loose and get real,” said Reineck.
World Dance for Humanity doesn’t just dance to entertain. They dance to contribute to charities around the world.
“We work for Rwanda, we work for Ukraine. We're involved now in the Iran protest as well,” said Reineck.
Saturday held great significance for the dancers as the day was dedicated to a 35 year old dance member named Nicole Greenwood, who tragically passed away this week.
“She had a passion for life and so do we. And she was part of our our heart and our community,” said Reineck.
World Dance for Humanity members say that people can honor Nicole by supporting the Rwanda Education Fund, which is now called the Nicole Greenwood Education Fund for Rwanda.
