Episode 269: Long Halloween Legacy of “Thriller” at Eastlake Elementary

Jackie Webster:
The girl handed me my drink. She said, "Wait, aren't you the thriller teacher of Foothills?" I mean, that was like forever ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
Before we get into the history, can you just tell me what this is and what we can look forward to?

Jackie Webster:
When the parents come, it's not just a minute and a half. It's a five-and-a-half-minute dance. So they dance for the whole thing and they dress up like zombies. It's something that they look forward to every year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. For some former students, she will be forever known as the "Thriller Teacher" at Eastlake Elementary School.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet Jackie Webster, a visual arts specialist who began a long and lasting Halloween tradition of sixth-grade students performing "Thriller" to the delight of parents, other students, and staff at Eastlake. It's a tradition now being carried on by a new teacher, but Ms. Webster continues to show up for the spooky and spectacular performance.

We are here at Eastlake Elementary School to talk about what happens at Halloween. Introduce yourselves and then let's get into it.

Jackie Webster:
I'm Jacqueline Webster

Ciara Brady:
And I'm Ciara Brady.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me your roles.

Jackie Webster:
Right now I'm the BTS Art Instructional Coach for Jordan District, so I go to all the elementary schools. So I get to coach all the elementary arts teachers.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're the new dance instructor here.

Ciara Brady:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Before we get into the history, can you just tell me what this is and what we can look forward to?

Jackie Webster:
Okay, so the Thriller Dance is with the sixth-grade students here at Eastlake. It gives them an opportunity to have something different to participate in and a different experience. And it's something that they've looked forward to every year. The original dance is only actually like a minute and a half in the actual video. So over the years, I've added choreography. I've changed it so that when the parents come it's not just a minute and a half. It's a five-and-a-half-minute dance. So they dance for the whole thing and they dress up like zombies. And then we we’re Michael.

Anthony Godfrey:
So each of you play the role of Michael?

Jackie Webster:
Yeah, I've always been Michael.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hence the red leather jacket with the MJ on it.

Jackie Webster:
This is official from the MJ store.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it really?

Jackie Webster:
It really is.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long have you had this jacket?

Jackie Webster:
Oh, well, a long time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Because it looks vintage. It looks real.

Jackie Webster:
It is vintage.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is awesome. I look forward to learning some moves with you guys.

Jackie Webster:
Oh, I love that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Before I have a trivia question now. What is it that no known mortal can resist?

Jackie Webster:
The evil of thriller.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, the evil of the thriller. Oh, it just gives me goosebumps to hear that. You've got the Michael Jackson t-shirt.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you accumulated a lot of Michael Jackson stuff over the years?

Jackie Webster:
Oh, you have no idea. You have no idea. A lot, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how many times have you watched the video?

Jackie Webster:
I can't even count. I don't even know. I started when I was little.

Anthony Godfrey:
You wore out the VHS tape.

Jackie Webster:
Yes, actually, I did watch the original VHS and we have the original thriller album.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jackie Webster:
My sisters have it from the 80s. I have three older sisters. So just, you know, we grew up listening to Michael and my cousin was actually friends with him. So he was just kind of a big thing in our family.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, wait a second. Back that up.

Jackie Webster:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have older sisters.

Jackie Webster:
I have three older sisters and my cousin was friends with Michael.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Jackie Webster:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me more about that.

Jackie Webster:
She has pictures with him, with her and her kids. She was a huge fan. She lived in Encino, California, and she sent him an Arabian colt because, you know, he loved animals.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Jackie Webster:
And so he wrote her and because she wrote a letter to go with it and he was like, “Well, what do you want in return?” She's like “nothing.” And he's like, “well, someone always wants something in return.” So he invited her and her kids, sent a car, went to his house, and took them on a tour and they just became friends after that.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's amazing.

Jackie Webster:
She has a whole chest of things from Michael.

Anthony Godfrey:
And was that what started your interest in Thriller?

Jackie Webster:
Yeah. That and my family listening, obviously, to his music. But yeah, just hearing her stories and then her kids, you know, had stories about hanging out with them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very cool. So as a kid, you loved Thriller. Did it ever scare you?

Jackie Webster:
No. I just thought it was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jackie Webster:
But when I've taught Thriller, I've always told the students to ask their parents permission to watch it at home, you know, because it can be scary. I never showed it because, you know, without permission, obviously. So they would have to go home and watch it with their parents.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you are new to the Thriller.

Ciara Brady:
Yes. I just did this for my first time last year.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how was that?

Ciara Brady:
It was good. I mean, I got hired for this job and then I found out that this was going on nine years tradition at the school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did you feel like they should have said it in the interview? Like, “Are you familiar with Thriller? Can you recite the lyrics and are you ready to be part of this?”

Ciara Brady:
That would have been pretty funny. “What is happening? What is this job?”

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Was everything red and black in the room?

Ciara Brady:
And you know, I actually had no idea till I'd already been hired.

So then I found out that the kids look forward since kinder her into the day that they get to be in sixth grade and thriller. And I was like, “Well, I'm not going to be the teacher that kills this tradition.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Right. That's right.

Ciara Brady:
I kept it going.

Anthony Godfrey:
See, you've shown good judgment already in year one. That's awesome.

Ciara Brady:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, both of you, what is it that students get out of participating as a sixth grader? First of all, it's really fun to look forward to it for five years. Look up to those sixth graders and that cool thing that they get to do. But tell me, what do they get out of the experience of preparing for and performing in the Thriller dance?

Ciara Brady:
I think the first thing they get is it's a really good confidence booster for them. It’s especially really nice to see the kids that are a little more quiet or shy. All of a sudden, they're the most dramatic and zombie of everyone in the group. And they're twitching and doing these big moves. And it's like, “oh, wow, I didn't know that you were very capable of doing that.” But it's really awesome. And then I feel like for the rest of the year, they feel more confident in just regular dance class that I teach. It was like that early on boost to their self-esteem.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's super engaging. You can't drift and not pay attention when you're trying to learn a dance and you're part of an ensemble and everybody is counting on you.

Ciara Brady:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that about the arts in particular. I never knew how to play this instrument. I never knew I could dance. I never knew this song or routine or that I could create this work of art. And then you stretch someone and they say, “Hey, wait a minute. I can do things I didn't know I could do. And I'm pretty good at it.”

Jackie Webster:
And I feel like it's a bonding experience, too, for them. They learn teamwork and having sequencing and placement and where they're supposed to be. I've had many stories over the years of kids who've remembered. I was actually telling him some of the stories beforehand.

One story is there was a kid who got married recently and he found me on Facebook. And he's married. I had him in third grade at Foothills. And he said, “I just heard something that I need to clarify with you. Were you really Michael Jackson's backup dancer?” I was like, “What? No!” And he's like, “Well, that was a rumor going around, like ever since I was in third grade.” And so even to this day, he thought I was.

Anthony Godfrey:
He thought you were Michael Jackson's backup dancer.

Jackie Webster:
But I was like, no, that was a rumor. But thanks for thinking of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So you really do teach the dance very well, obviously. When you describe the twitching and the moving around, I can't help but visualize the video. How much do you emulate the video and how much did you add? Because you told us that you expand it.

Jackie Webster:
I did. I expanded it.

Anthony Godfrey:
But for that minute and a half, do you recreate the original also?

Jackie Webster:
Yes. I took pieces from the original. There was like one or two moves that I knew would be hard for third graders because back in the day. And so I tweaked it and I ended up typing up all my dance steps. Like six pages. But I added my own choreography and then tweaked it a little bit so that it would last the whole length of the song. Five and a half minutes. I do need to put a plug in.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jackie Webster:
For the Beverly Taylor-Sorensen Arts Learning Program.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's fantastic. It is fantastic. Let's talk about that.

Jackie Webster:
Because Ciara is a BTS dance teacher and I was a visual art BTS teacher and I'm the BTS coach. And I love that our district particularly has a BTS teacher in every elementary school. That's not common in every district. And I just want to thank you for supporting the arts because it makes a big difference.

Anthony Godfrey:
It does make a big difference in the lives of students. And we have tremendous art teachers. Whether it's visual arts or dance or music. Whatever it is. Drama. It enriches the day for students. Like you said it builds confidence. That creativity is really important. And our teachers have brought such value to it. We just couldn't imagine doing without a teacher in every school. Well, thank you for supporting teachers. Thank you for choosing to be a teacher. And thank you for creating this incredible experience for students.

Don't go away. When we come back hear students performing to perfection in this year's Halloween production of Thriller.

Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Break:
In Jordan School District we never want a student to go hungry, without food, warm clothing, or school supplies.

Hi, I'm Mike Haynes, director of the Jordan Education Foundation. If you're looking for opportunities to help students and teachers in our schools, we invite you to join us. The Jordan Education Foundation works with generous community partners, volunteer groups, and amazing people to provide classroom grants for teachers, food and clothing to fill Principal's Pantries for students. And together we recognize outstanding educators in every single school every year. If you want to connect with an amazing community helping to fuel success in Jordan School District, get involved or donate by visiting our website at jordaneducationfoundation.org. That's jordaneducationfoundation.org. We hope to hear from you soon!

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with two of the students who participate in the Thriller dance. Tell me your name and what you love most about being part of this.

Maxx:
Okay, my name is Maxx and I just, I love dancing. This is really fun and a good opportunity for me to show my dance moves.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you enjoyed dancing for a long time?

Maxx:
Yes, I have. I liked dancing when I was a little kid.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah? And have you been taking any dance lessons or classes or is this your first opportunity to really show what you're made of?

Maxx:
This is my first opportunity to show what I'm made of.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me your name.

Marriem:
My name is Marriem and I like to just be part of a group project.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you like being part of the group? You're making friends connected with each other?

Marriem:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So have you danced for a long time or is this your first dancing opportunity?

Marriem:
I used to be in ballet class but I didn't really like it that much, but I'm starting to like it again, so kind of.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you show me any moves from the dance? Oh wow. So where you get down kind of knees bent and you're rotating and using different pivot foots. That really did make me think about the video. I am going to be listening to Thriller in the car.

Oh, wait a minute. I just heard clapping behind the curtain. Is it haunted or is everyone rehearsing back there?

Maxx:
They're rehearsing their formation claps.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you guys for talking to me and I'm really excited about this year's performance. I have a feeling it's not going to feel like Halloween unless I get to see the Thriller dance. So thank you very much.

Oh wow. No one's doing the dance halfway that's for sure. Oh, the marching. It is all coming back to me now.

It looks like you have some photos from over the years here. Let's take a look. And you said you started doing it with third graders at Foothills when you taught third grade.

Jackie Webster:
Yeah, so I actually found one of my pictures.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Jackie Webster:
That was just me and my class. It’s just so cute.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's adorable. They look very excited to be so scary.

Jackie Webster:
I know so that was back in the day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Cutest zombies ever.

Jackie Webster:
And I have– so this is the last picture I took. This was in 2000.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have thriller earrings that say “Thriller”.

Jackie Webster:
I know and I even painted my nose to match.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Jackie Webster:
I do have to pay tribute to Barbara Yost because when I first did Thriller it was just me and my sister and her friend. We performed it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jackie Webster:
Just for my class. And she said, “Next year why don't you teach some of it to the kids?” And I'm like “Yeah, I would like to.” And she was like “I'm OK with that.” I'm like “Well, if you're OK with that I'm OK with it.” So she helped encourage me to do that. So shout out to her.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s really exciting. That's really cool that she'd embrace it and just jump in.

Jackie Webster:
So this is them dressed up. These are my third graders.

Anthony Godfrey:
Look at them. That is so cool. Oh yeah. With the face being eaten through.

Jackie Webster:
And I always told parents and the kids they never had to buy a costume. It wasn't like you had to go buy, it was just be creative. Do your own makeup. Ratty hair. Find an old t-shirt and rip it up. So they all just created their own costumes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh cool.

Jackie Webster:
They never went and bought their own.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Jackie Webster:
And then I ended up combining it with – because we had tracks at the time we were year-round.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're right.

Jackie Webster:
So it was my class and the other track teacher. So we didn't leave any of those out of course. So the last year I was here. This was in 2022.

Anthony Godfrey:
Those are some great costumes.

Jackie Webster:
Yeah, they're makeup

Anthony Godfrey:
Or makeup rather.

Jackie Webster:
Yeah, and their costumes. They made them up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

Jackie Webster:
Then we have some that pretend to be zombies and not alive.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. Zombies that come alive while they’re dancing.

Jackie Webster:
Yes, they have to. It's a must.

Ciara Brady:
They all want to be those kids.

Jackie Webster:
This is one of my students. Look how good!

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow. Yeah. That is such a great work.

Jackie Webster:
The parents are amazing. The parents helped. I mean they helped a ton with the makeup obviously. I went to Swig last summer and a girl handed me my drink. She said, “Wait, aren't you the thriller teacher from Foothills?” I mean that was like forever ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jackie Webster:
She’s in high school. And I was like “Yeah” I mean it's just cute. I'm glad I'm well known.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. It's a part of your identity. You'll never shake it.

Jackie Webster:
I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you show me some of the moves? Now you showed me a little bit. So there's a little bit. I remember that they kind of go like this and then they walk in the direction. So it's elbow- so you walk and then you do the left right left with the claw.

All:
One, two, three. Left, right, left. One, two. Left, right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, clearly I haven't been practicing one day a week since August. Yeah.

Jackie Webster:
That's the classic one.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. Congratulations on a great project over the years and on taking up the torch even though you didn't know you were going to have to do that. Embracing it fully and creating this great experience.

Jackie Webster:
She's done an awesome job and I'm grateful that she's taken on the job so that could continue for the community.

Ciara Brady:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

(upbeat music)