“Approximately 23,000 people in 32 countries danced “Thriller” at the same time”

Raising over $85,000 USD for over 80 charities World Record broken for Largest Simultaneous Thriller Dance with the Record Holders Republic

PRESS RELEASE

The 2009 Thrill The World event occurred on October 25th, 2009, at 12:30am GMT/UTC (which was October 24 in some parts of the world). This year’s Thrill The World was an unprecedented global success, celebrating the life and music of Michael Jackson.

Now in its third year, Thrill The World’s participant numbers have increased exponentially from the initial 62 dancers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2006, which resulted in a Guinness World Record, to approximately 23,000 people in 32 countries dancing “Thriller” at the same time in 2009. This total easily surpasses last year’s record of 4,179 people for Largest Simultaneous Thriller Dance with the Record Holders Republic.

This year, TTW raised over $100,000 USD for over 80 charities and non-profit groups. In July 2009, following the death of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones acknowledged Thrill The World in an open letter to the media. He wrote, “In every language on the planet, from prison yards in the Philippines to Thrilltheworld.com, that will be the beautiful, grand legacy of Michael Jackson.”

This incredible tribute to Michael Jackson was founded in 2006 by Ines Markelle,  a dance choreographer and instructor in Toronto, Canada. It is Markelle’s unprecedented “Thriller” dance instructional teaching videos that make it possible for dancers, non-dancers, young and the young at heart to learn the dance in a very short time. New “Thriller” dancers have then gone on to teach other event participants.