LIHUE — The something evil lurking in the dark this Halloween could be VanNghi Vo’s zombie flash mob, which is gathering strength islandwide.
The barre yoga teacher is hosting a series of classes to teach people the dance from Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller” and she broke out her shoes for the first class on Monday night.
“We had so much fun. There were 11 or 12 of us, it was a bigger turnout than I was expecting,” Vo said. “It’s all about us getting silly and being zombies and having fun.”
The classes are geared toward people of all ages and experience levels and Vo said at her first class she had students ranging from age 10 through adults, with experience ranging from beginner to instructor-level.
“It’s pretty much the exact choreography,” Vo said. “I got this idea because I love Halloween and I’ve always wanted to learn the Thriller dance, and I can’t be alone in that boat.”
Through Oct. 20, Vo is going to be hosting a series of four classes at four separate venues in Kilauea, Kapaa and Lihue.
Classes on Mondays are at 6:45 p.m. at Kilauea Dance and Fitness and are scheduled on Oct. 1, Oct. 8, and Oct. 15. Shoes are optional.
Wednesdays, Thriller Dance classes are at Kapaa’s Studio Barre and Soul at 6:45 p.m. and are set for Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10, and Oct. 17. No shoes.
Thursdays, Vo is in Lihue teaching at Barre Soul Deux at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct 11, and Oct 18. Shoes optional.
Saturdays, classes are at Golden Lotus Studio in Kapaa at 8:30 a.m., set for Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. Shoes optional.
While she’s a barre yoga instructor, teaching the Thriller dance is Vo’s first shot at teaching dance lessons and she isn’t a trained dancer.
“The only dance experience I have is informal, playful stuff at home,” Vo said. “Growing up I always wanted to take some kind of extracurricular dance, but that wasn’t an option.”
But Monday night’s first class in Kilauea brought experienced dance instructors to the floor and everyone learned together, Vo said.
“The point is to learn and have a good time on Halloween,” she said.
Classes are set up so students learn a third of the dance at a time, with refreshers for every class. The fourth and last class is a chance to fine tune and dance through all of the choreography in full costume.
The end game of the Thriller dance classes is still foggy as the first classes get going at all of the locations; Vo plans to host flash mob-like events near all the locations where she’s teaching, but is open to suggestions.
RSVP encouraged to attend classes.
Cost is $10 per class, or $30 for four classes.
More info: 949-697-5476.
