By Eva Armendariz
With so many choices this Halloween, choosing the right activity to celebrate this spooky holiday seems overwhelming. Dancing zombies, toe- tapping skeletons and hip hoppin” scarecrows bring a frighteningly funny air to a unique dance production.
Odyssey Dance Theatre”s “Thriller,” a hilariously creepy dance performance at the University of Utah”s Kingsbury Hall, is known to bring thrills and chills to the Halloween season.
“It”s basically a Halloween Extravaganza,” said Derryl Yeager, artistic director for Odyssey Dance Theatre and “Thriller” co-choreographer. “It”s very funny and humorous. We take characters and twist them a bit and put them in different contexts. … I think people are really surprised by how funny the show is.”
Featuring a series of vignettes, the performance represents every type of dance, Yeager said. “Thriller” features scary Halloween characters, such as Frankenstein, the curse of the mummy, Salem witches and Jason.
“It”s not just dancing, and it”s a lot more entertaining than I would have expected,” said Venna Ferguson, a 22-year-old advertising major from Spanish Fork, who saw the show last year. “It”s a really entertaining dance show. Be ready to be amazed by their skills and their performing ability.”
Show tickets range from $20 to $40. With a student ID, a two-for-one deal is offered for same day performances.
Drawing closer to All Hallows Eve, the performances are rapidly selling out, said Kali Judkins, the Kingsbury Hall ticket office supervisor. “It”s been the busiest year we”ve had.”
Through Oct. 28, “Thriller” performances are at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Running for nine consecutive years, “Thriller” has become a popular Halloween tradition and great casual date activity, Yeager said.
“After the show, most guys say to me ”I don”t like dance, but that was really cool,”” he said. “There”s no hoity-toity, snooty stuff going on here, it”s just really fun, very entertaining. There”s something for everybody.”
