Take a lesson and get ready to be part of this year’s ‘Thriller’ zombie dance downtown

If you’re of a certain age, you remember the 13-minute music video, the creepy Vincent Price voice-over and the moment when Michael Jackson freaks out his bobbie-socked girlfriend by turning into a werewolf under a full moon.

And then, of course, the dancing.

Oh, the dancing. Row after row of zombies, perfectly in sync, looking pretty limber for surviving on a diet of brains.

It won’t be close to midnight, and the something lurking will be in broad daylight, but the “Thriller” dance returns this year to the Sioux Falls Zombie Walk on Oct. 28 – and it’s not too late to take lessons and participate.

The “Thriller” dance has been part of Zombie Walk for several years, said Kerry Roberts, one of the founding members of the annual walk, which now is organized by the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz and raises funds for various charities.

“We were like, this is the coolest thing ever, and it fit right in,” Roberts said. “The next year, they held classes and got more people.”

The parade will be led by the dancers, which serves not only to set the right tone for the event but also the right pace for the parade itself. After all, it’s hard for the living to lurch at the pace of the undead.

“If you just let everyone in zombie makeup lead the parade, it lasts four minutes,” Roberts said. “We have fast zombies.”

The dance classes are available through Sioux Falls Community Education and held at Eugene Field Elementary. They start at 6 p.m. Thursdays, and there are options to make up classes if you miss any. The class is taught by Lisa Myhre.

The parade started in 2006, and this is the 16th year of it – a few were missed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The parade theme this year is the 1980s.

“I’ve lined up a DeLorean to drive in the parade, and I want to see how many people will dress up like Marty McFly,” Roberts said of the “Back to the Future” character. Prizes will be awarded for a variety of costume categories, including group costumes and kids costumes.

“We want people to come out and have lots of fun.”

The parade will raise money for the Roller Dollz and CASA this year, he said.

Members of the Sioux Falls Junior Roller Derby, a competitive league, also participate, he said.

“This is also a recruiting event for roller derby – nobody knows these things are happening in Sioux Falls. We are in the top 15 in the country in a world-class junior league, and nobody knows it.”

“If we really dig in and double down on the ‘Thriller’ dance this year, I think it could be completely ridiculous,” Roberts said. “Pre-pandemic, we had like 1,800 zombies. We expect at least a thousand in the parade. We have floats, ‘Thriller’ dancers and vendors on-site.”

The event always draws a huge crowd, many of whom pay $5 for zombie makeup just to watch. It’s another $5 to walk in the parade. Makeup begins at noon, and the parade starts at 4 p.m. from the 8th & Railroad Center at 401 E. Eighth St.

“I would encourage people to learn the dance,” Roberts said.

“I think that lots of people really love the spooky season of Halloween and getting into the spirit of it,” he said. “Zombie Walk started as something trivial, and now it’s an event people look forward to all year long.”

He promises the event is kid- and family-friendly – costumes can be gory, but zombies are discouraged from screaming or trying to scare people.

“I bet we have lots of Taylor Swifts this year and Barbies.”