Robberson students, parents, principal dance in Thriller club
Elementary students often join teachers and staff in after-school fun. But not many are encouraged to channel their inner zombie.
“You really got to have stiff zombie legs,” said Ann Walls owner of The Savory and director of Dance With Me. “I know by the end of the dance you might be tired, but you’ve really got to think zombie.”
More than 10 fifth-graders in a special club, Let's Dance Thriller, at Robberson Community Schools learned the iconic dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Three students were joined by their mothers, with one grandmother participating as well. They learned the nearly six-minute dance alongside Robberson community engagement coordinator Laura Schulteis and Robberson principal Dr. Kevin Huffman.
“We’ve got a lot of strong after-school clubs here at Robberson, and we have for a long time,” said Dr. Huffman. “But it’s important to involve the parents, too. This is something we’d like to continue, bringing our parents in to have fun and learn alongside our students. It’s been a great opportunity for everyone involved."
Students, parents and staff were taught the dance by Ann and Andy Walls, owners of The Savoy on Commercial Street and directors of Dance With Me. The dance lessons were subsidized in part by Robberson to make them affordable for parents and students to participate, and featured interactive, personalized instruction once a week for an hour for six weeks.
“We’ve been doing Thriller on C Street for years, but we’re really proud of how many different types of people in the community participate,” said Walls. “We have older people, young people, people with autism, who all get out and dress up and dance. We’re really proud of how inclusive this event is and how many families get out to experience something that is so much fun on Commercial Street.”
The Robberson dancers will join hundreds of zombie dancers in Thriller on C-Street on Saturday, Oct. 27, at both 4 and 7 p.m. The event is free to the community and is performed on Commercial Street between Robberson and Boonville Avenues.