There’s this little music video by Michael Jackson called “Thriller” – anyone heard of it?

Right. I know. You might be tired of hearing about all things Michael Jackson – but tough it out for one more. This one is a bit different. I promise.

Thrill The World is an “annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’” Annual – meaning it’s not something that just came up within the last few weeks. Matter of fact, they’ve been doing this since 2006 when 62 people danced and the first Guinness World Record was set for “Largest Thriller Dance”. The following year, 1,722 people in 52 cities danced Thriller at the exact same time, again breaking records. Last year that number went up to 4,179.

No doubt, this year may be the biggest number yet.

Luckily for us in San Jose, Grave Mistake will be putting together the workshops for San Jose/Silicon Valley dwellers to participate in the event. Learn the dance, some costume design, and makeup techniques.

Local time of the worldwide event will be Saturday, October 24th at 5:30pm PDT. Until then, join others in learning the steps at the first dance workshop on Sunday, August 2nd at 11:00am at John Mise Park in San Jose.

If it sound interesting to you, head on over to Grave Mistake and register!

Looking for something fun and free for the family this evening? The 14th Annual Dancin’ on the Avenue in downtown Willow Glen runs today (June 20) from 5-10pm. This is always a fun event with lots to do for everybody. There’s a kid’s court full of games,arts and crafts  and face painting and of course dancing and music just  for  kids too.

Lincoln Street shuts down from Minnesota to Willow, with three stages of music and dancing throughout the event. Entertainment ranges from bluegrass, jazz and salsa to classical ballet, hip hop and belly dance. Visit the official site for a  list of performers. Look for plenty of great food and drink, much from local vendors as well.

Last year 30,000 people attended the event, so parking fills up fast. If you decide to park in the neighborhood, please be respectful of the neighbors. Here’s a map of the event and suggestions on parking.