Twenty dancers from Kathy Hansen School of Dance (KHSOD) are scheduled to perform at the third annual Zombie Fest taking place on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 2:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Parkview Hotel and Restaurant and Draper Park located at 145 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. The KHSOD dancers are performing a number accompanied by the music from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” starting at 5 p.m. and will also lead the Zombie Walk around downtown Owego starting at 5:30 p.m. (Provided photo)
Twenty dancers from Kathy Hansen School of Dance (KHSOD) are scheduled to perform at the third annual Zombie Fest taking place on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 2:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Parkview Hotel and Restaurant and Draper Park located at 145 Front St. in Owego, N.Y.
Starting at 5 p.m., members of the KHSOD competition team, comprised of dancers aged eight to 18, will thrill guests attending the Zombie Fest by performing a special choreographed number accompanied by the music from Michael Jackson’s music video, “Thriller.” The KHSOD dancers will also lead the Zombie Walk around downtown Owego starting at 5:30 p.m.
It was 32 years ago that the nearly 14 minute “Thriller” music video premiered on music television, and it has since become one of the most recognized songs in pop music history. Decades later, the popular song is often selected for events during the Halloween season, and it exemplifies the magnitude of Michael Jackson’s legacy as a pop music icon and dancer.
“Thriller” will undoubtedly be around for generations to come, and the KHSOD dancers, although they were not around when it was first introduced to the public, are now able to be a part of its phenomenon in pop culture by performing a thrilling dance at Owego’s Zombie Fest.
Owner, director, instructor and choreographer Kathy Hansen is excited about the debut of her dance students performing “Thriller” at the Zombie Fest. “The students are really excited about it, too,” Hansen shared.
Participating in regional and national competitions along with practicing dance routines from four to seven hours or more a week in class, the dancers, along with their instructors, JoEllen Kuhlman and Erin Wilcox, are prepared to mesmerize the crowd at the third annual Owego Zombie Fest.
The KHSOD dancers will be outfitted creatively, as was Michael Jackson and his entourage of dancers dressed in the “Thriller” music video. Unlike the “Thriller” lyrics, the KHSOD dancers won’t be out until “close to midnight, under the moonlight.” However, while darkness falls and the Zombie Walk begins, the dancers will lead the Zombie Fest undead, and as the song lyrics go, “they start to walk in their masquerade.”
Owego’s Zombie Fest, a free event for all ages, will feature three live bands and a professional dance studio performance, along with face painting, a haunted house and the not-to-miss “Zombie Walk” around downtown Owego. Taking place at Draper Park and the Parkview Hotel and Restaurant, which is registered on New York’s Haunted History Trail, Zombie Fest will bring the undead out of the woodwork for a howling good time.
Also performing at Owego’s Zombie Fest are the Recycled Zombies and Wreckless Marci, as well as Gri Eli featuring Eli Van Shephard. Separate entertainment feature stories will showcase each band and performers.
For more information, find Kathy Hansen School of Dance, Owego Zombie Fest and Owego’s Parkview Hotel and Restaurant on Facebook. To learn more about the haunted history trail, visit www.hauntedhistorytrail.com.
