Thriller Dancers Raise Money for Portland’s Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center

Portland, October 24th, 2015.  Southwest 2nd and Ash was closed down for several hours so dozens of thriller dancers could take to the streets and strut their scary stuff. The group is part of an international coalition which coordinates the flash mob of dancers across the globe each year. Portland organizers  charge $5 for participants and raise money for Portland’s Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center.

Here’s a video of their big Thriller Dance:

The international organization which spearheads the Thriller dance flash mobs got the ball rolling in 2006. It honors the famous Michael Jackson video which was released in 1982. Thriller featured a “film within a film” horror theme. The video is below.

Here are some stats from the worldwide, simultaneous Thriller dance which took place last year:

There were approximately 6,451 Zombies at 134 events in 22 countries and 6 continents.

Estimated Funds Raised: Over $68,000 plus food/clothing/charitable donations.

Biggest Dances: Redmond, WA, USA–256, Istanbul, Turkey–221, Eugene, Oregon, USA–213.

The event in Portland event helps the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center. Here’s more information about that nonprofit:

Portland’s Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center provides a safe, supervised, harassment-free, and alcohol- and drug-free space for sexual & gender minority youth 23 and younger. Youth gather to participate in positive activities like art, music, community organizing, youth development, education, peer support, support groups, case management, counseling, and job readiness preparation. SMYRC focuses on key youth development benchmarks through referrals and programming, like increasing academic success, increasing access to jobs, reducing poverty, and preventing juvenile crime. The support that youth find at SMYRC helps them stay in school, become leaders in their communities, and make empowered personal decisions.