Michael Jackson impersonator Hector Jackson performs with
thousands of people at the Monument of the Revolution in
Mexico City, during an attempt break the Guinness World
record of people dancing Michael Jackson's Thriller. (AP
Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
They say they beat it. Thousands of Mexicans claimed they
broke the record for most people dancing to "Thriller"
simultaneously in one place yesterday (NZT), which would have
been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday.
"We did it!" organiser Javier Hildago shouted to thousands of
people wearing black fedoras, white gloves, aviator shades
and ghoulish face paint, breathless after trying to recreate
the groundbreaking 1983 video.
Did they? The Guinness Book of World Records will decide in a
week.
The current record was set in May by a group of 242 College
of William & Mary students who performed the routine in
Williamsburg, Virginia, according to Guinness.
Hildago claimed 12,937 people danced yesterday in front of
Mexico City's Monument of the Revolution, led by a Michael
Jackson impersonator wearing a red-and-gold sequined jacket.
But Guinness must certify whether all those people really
performed the entire, intricate routine. The impersonator,
who goes by the name Hector Jackson, and most of those in
front of a huge crowd of onlookers certainly looked pretty
good.
"More people responded than we even imagined!" Hector Jackson
said. "Mexico gave the best tribute in the world to Michael
Jackson."
Some of those who took part were born more than two decades
after "Thriller" was released.
Guillermo Rodriguez, 2, wore a wig of dreadlocks, a black
fedora and a white glove as he practiced the moves minutes
before the event, holding up a cell phone that blared a
recording of the song into his ear.
His father, Guillermo Rodriguez Sr., is not a huge fan
himself. But he said his son has become mesmerised by the
Jackson videos that Mexican television have often played
since the pop icon died on June 25.
"Michael Jack!" the toddler screeched, pointing a chubby,
un-gloved finger at a Jackson T-shirt held up by a nearby
hawker.
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