FINAL COUNT! 106 Zombies***FIRST REPORT FROM CRUZ ROJA...$110,000 pesos raised by the ZOMBIES of AJIJIC!*** GALLERY BELOW o

And Again at Six Corners! 

Bulletin: Please travel light. We are trying to arrange for a secure spot for our belongings, but the hotel has booked every room. If you have a convertible and are willing to give up trunk space for purses, that would be awesome.

Don't have a heart attack at this change....I really want to use the Payaso Rodeo (Spanish version of Achy Breaky Heart) after we Thrill the World. It's in Spanish, and a popular dance in Mexico, so I think it's the line dance that best serves our purpose as a bi-cultural celebration. After that we will have time for photos and mingling, and when you hear the Conga, that will be the signal to move over to the parade vehicles...
The steps are:
3 to the right (kick)
3 to the left (kick)
3 to the back (kick)
3 forward, and turn one quarter as you kick.
Here's a VIDEO
I'm pretty sure we won't look worse.
Every one of you has, after all, mastered Michael Jacksons choreography. :)

Zombie Libby thought of throwing candy during the parade, so if you have some, bring some! Zombie Administrator James and I noticed yesterday that they have individually wrapped hard candies at the dollar store across the plaza.

Remember to sign in and get a name tag, and to be ready for the group photo at 3:30.

Have fun, be nice to each other, and be nice to me. I'm sure I've forgotten or messed up a million things and the day hasn't started yet. If you see things that could be improved for next year, by all means make a note, and we'll share ideas at our "Post Mortem" For today, it's going to be a party and a half however it goes, so Rock ON Zombies!

Ready, Set, ROCK ON!

It's so hard to believe that Thrill Day is here! Well, minus 1 day and 8 hours, according to the trusty countdown clock. Everybody has done such a great job of preparing, and I feel confident that all you awesome zombies can relax and concentrate on having an amazing time on Saturday.
  Here's how the day will work (we hope ):

1.The first make up appointments start at 1:00, so that's the true beginning of Thrill Day. For most participants, though, I'm going to suggest not arriving earlier than 2:00, and 3:00 is fine. The staging area is in the CENTRO CULTURAL.

2. As soon as you get there, SIGN IN and GET A NAME TAG, both requirements for the world record. If you want to go out on the plaza and mingle, grab a red cross donation thingie and go ahead. We may have some stickers or goodies to hand out in exchange for donations or photo ops.
Enjoy your celebrity!

3. There will be a group photo, also a world record requirement, in the centro at 3:30. I think that will make a really fun souvenir. Prints will be available next week for $50 pesos, all proceeds to the Cruz Roja.

4. Our sound guy will have a playlist that is timed to play Thriller at exactly 4:00. The first song is
   Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell. Then you will hear the Emergency Broadcast followed by Superstition, I was a Teenage Zombie, and I Want to do Bad Things to You.

The Emergency Broadcast will play a second time. That's the signal for the Official Thrill the World. The songs are subject to change as I try to get the timing down to the nano second, but the Emergency broadcast will not. It will play, be followed by several songs, and play again, which is your cue.

5. At the conclusion of Thriller, remember to hold your pose until the song completely fades out, and then feel free to give yourselves a huge cheer! The next song will be Walk and Wine, by Byron Lee. I'll start a Conga line and we'll dance across the plaza to the parade vehicles, which will be parked on Hidalgo. They should be in place by 3:30, and then the street will be closed.

6. We'll parade over to six corners and dance again...it's not required! But it is a nice inter community gesture, and I'm really pleased we're being asked to do it. After that, we'll parade back and party like Zombie rock stars for the rest of the night!

7. Stay tuned for a invitation to a "debriefing" on  Saturday November 8, which will be a chance for us all to get together and share our experience and get the last necessary filming of rehearsal scenes shot for the movie, planned for release in December!

Are We Having Fun Yet? YES!

Hello, Awesome Zombie Horde!

   According to a certain husband who shall remain unnamed (Bruno), Your Zombie Queen is bouncing off the walls with excitement. We're in the countdown to Thrill Day now, with less than two weeks to go. Here's a link to the flyer that can be found around town. As your Zombie Queen, I insist that it's going to be a lot of fun.

  Congratulations to all of you for the great work you're doing getting pledges. Many of you are using the GoFundMe page that is set up for the Ajijic Zombies, so I see the twenty dollar donations, the five dollar donations, the large ones and the small ones. Keep up the good work, and feel free to use that site if you want to appeal to friends and family up North. You'll get an email right away acknowledging any donations made in your name. If you're using a pledge sheet--tried and true!-- you can start bringing your donations to any rehearsal. Thanks for yours, Zombie Shannon.

    I've tried a couple of different approaches to the V.I.P. passes. It seems easiest to provide everyone who has pledged $500 pesos or more with access to the VIP viewing area. Before I make that announcement, please send me the names of sponsors you have so far that qualify, so I can make sure that it will work. Dinner tickets will still be available separately for $150 pesos. Remember, the V.I.P. access is a way to reward them, but the true motivation has to be their desire to donate. The dance is only six minutes long, although I know sometimes if feels like thirty.
  ( I've already planned for those of you who have bought dinner packages, so don't panic.)

    Speaking of the old doh-re-mi, It looks like there's a good chance that the Cruz Roja is going to sell t-shirts this year. It might be helpful if I get a show of hands from Zombies who would be interested in pre-ordering. I think they're going to pretty cool. We're looking at black shirts that have the zombie handprint and white lettering that says

I Survived the Zombie Invasion

Thrill the World Ajijic, 

October 26 2013

Let me know if you'd like to be on that list.

As always, send me your Zombie questions, and help yourself to any of the tools, videos, scripts and other goodies that are available to the right on this page, and by clicking on the tabs above.

Next rehearsal is Wednesday at Club Exotica, and Saturday at the Centro Cultural at 1:00 See you there!

Party Together, Take Care of Each Other

Did you know there’s a countdown clock on the webpage? Look over to your right, and you'll see it, ticking away. Don’t freak out, everybody is doing a FANTASTIC job and there’s still more than enough time to get your Zom on.

 We’ve added a second weekly practice beginning THIS WEDNESDAY at 5:00 pm, but not at Hole in One as previously announced. We will be practicing in the large Club Exotica located behind the Jardin Restaurant on the Plaza. Walk right through the restaurant through the double doors in the back.  If you haven’t been there before, you’re in for a surprise. Emilio will have a bartender on duty at the Sports Bar upstairs, so you can relax with a drink after rehearsal. As always, practices are optional, but the more confident you feel, the more you can relax and enjoy yourself on the day of the event. And there’s going to be a lot to enjoy!

The Delegado stopped by our practice on Saturday and shared his plans for Ajijic’s first annual Zombie parade and barbeque to celebrate Thrill the World. While all the funds we collect go to the Red Cross, his barbeque will benefit the DIF and ….well, I’m not sure about this part, but I got the impression that he’s raising money for fabric for Ajijic old ladies to make Ballet Folklorico costumes.

 I’ll have tickets for the party with me at the Wednesday practice. They are $150 pesos and entitle the bearer to a scrumptious buffet hosted by Manix.

 Diane Pearl is bringing ONE HUNDRED pumpkins to the Plaza at 11:00 on Thrill morning and sponsoring a pumpkin carving contest until 4:00. The proceeds from her efforts will go toward making sure that every local child can celebrate Christmas with a toy or art supplies. The winners of the contest will be announced after the parade, and the carved jack o lanterns will be lit up and used as decorations at the party that evening. It sounds awesome, doesn’t it? It’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of something that is so much fun, and yet does so much good for so many different parts of the community.

 A giant thank you to our VIP Zombie go-go dancers Fether and Val. I know that everyone appreciates having them up front doing the moves. While I’m doing shout-outs, let me congratulate first time Zombie Leslie on her fantastic Zombie recruiting effort. She encouraged a great looking group of her friends to show up, and they all caught on to the dance in no time flat. Welcome aboard, new Zoms, we’re super glad to have you!

Dee Grant and her team of make-up artists were also on hand to sell tickets for Zombie makeup appointments. A regular scary Zombie is $50 pesos, and one of the intricate and really cool Catrina Zombies is $150 pesos. The zombies really stepped up, and we’ve already raised nearly $2000 pesos from the Zombie Glamour Department.  That money is all being donated by the makeup artists to the Red Cross. If you would like an appointment, sign up with Dee or Hansje or one of the other glamour ghouls soon.­­

See you Wednesday at 5:00 at Club Exotica, and Saturday at 1:00 in the Centro Cultural.

A Message From the Zombie Makeup Room

Starting at Saturday’s rehearsal we will be selling tickets in advance of the performance for makeup to be applied by our pros. There will be two levels of makeup, just a regular Zombie will be a donation of $50 MXN and the specialty makeup – Catrinas, crows etc will be a donation of $150 MXN. On the day of the performance appointments will be available from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will be no charge for children. If you could possibly bring exact amount, it would be greatly appreciated. Remember all proceeds go to Cruz Roja.

Oh, the Places You'll Go, the Zombies You'll Be!

Which one of these speaks to YOUR inner Zombie? Or does it give you an idea for something completely different?

Flamenco Dancer

Librarian
Star Trek Crew Member
Zombie Bride
Samba Dancer
Nurse
Marilyn Monroe

Sexy Vixen
Tourist
Elvis Presley
Hooker/Pimp
Biker Zombie
Cowgirl Zombie
Square Dancer
Hazmat Zombie
Yuppie
Football Player
20′s Flapper
Prom Queen
Student
Prisoner Zombie
Cheer Leader
Rastafarian
Bollywood Dancer
Boy/Girl Scout
Karate Fighter
Any Kind of Uniform
Belly Dancer
Bull Fighter
Disco Dancer
Hockey Player
Any Movie Star
Surfer
Cop
Golfer
Mailman
Hospital Patient
Gun Slinger
Bank Robber
Referee

Construction Worker

Test Car Dummy
James Dean
Clown
Candy Striper
Doctor/Nurse
IndianaJones
Scuba/Snorkel Diver
Hoola Dancer
Titanic Victim
Rock Climber
Golfer
Tennis Player
Football Player
Cheerleader
Band Musician
Hippie
Disco Dancer

What is Thrill the World?

Thrill The World is friends, families and other local residents who each year join together with thousands of other people around the globe to break the World Record for the Largest Simultaneous Dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”! More importantly, TTW is more than just dancing to a 6 minute song–

The broader goal is unity among all the peoples of the world, humanitarianism and environmental stewardship.

The event was founded in 2006 in Toronto, and has now spread to six continents! Every October thousands of people/zombies around the world come together to honor the genius of Michael Jackson and raise funds for charity–oh! and to have fun, too!

How do we do it?

Every October, Zombies across the world synchronize to dance to “Thriller” at exactly the same time. Preparation for the dance is part of the fun but the feeling of being connected to people thinking and doing the same thing at the same time, celebrating a true inspirational genius of Michael Jackson, is what keeps people coming back year after year. Also, knowing what bad dancers Zombies are, it helps people indulge, renew or even discover the joy of dance, without having any fear (what do I look like? Am I any good? ) Zombies don’t do fear!!!