Cleveland State University Theatre and Dance students showed off their moves to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" at an event Oct. 29.

CSU dance student Arabella Collins was in charge of teaching the choreography to her fellow costumed classmates.

CSU dance director Michele Ainza hosted the event which doubled as a Halloween costume party at the CSU Theatre and Dance building.

“We do repeat this every Halloween,” Ainza said. “It started in order to connect the theatre and dance students together on something fun to celebrate Halloween and share joy.” 

The party and dance-off was open to theatre and dance students, who chose one of the two tracks to study ahead of the event.

Collins shared what the theatre and dance community meant to her. 

“I’ve been a student at Cleveland State for three years now, and throughout the time I’ve been here, I’ve met and made connections with so many different amazing people.”
 

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“When Michele asked me to lead the Thriller dance-off and teach the choreography, it was such an easy 'yes' for me,” Collins said. “I’ve always loved Michael Jackson’s music, as well as his dancing and musicality, so it was such a fun experience to be able to learn the choreography and then get to share it with my peers as well.”

The competition started with all eyes on Collins, dressed as Raven from “Teen Titans.” She broke the minute-long dance down in stages, focusing on details such as head movement, arm position and facial expression, all the way down to how the hands looked, dubbing them “monster hands.” 
 

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“If you need to think about convulsing, then go for it,” Collins said, getting a laugh during the first set of movements. 

After a couple of quick run-throughs, the competition began. Contestants were split into two groups, and the winner would be determined by an applause-o-meter. 

After the first round of performances, group two was picked as the winner. A contestant from group one joked that the judging was “slightly biased” and really about “who can cheer loudest for themselves,” as contestants were allowed to cheer for their own group.

Out of group two, the two finalists, dance major Zachary Thatcher, wearing the Junior Jewels shirt from Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me,” and Cece Brown, dressed as Jessie from “Team Rocket,” were picked for their dancing skills. 

After a finely tuned performance, and final applause-o-meter, senior theatre major Brown won. 
 

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“It was kind of shocking. I didn't expect to win,” Brown said. “I don't dance a lot. I was thinking, OK, I'll have fun. I also cheered for myself a bit, but not during the last part.” 

Next came the costume competition, with creativity ranging from Eric Cartman and Ted Lasso dressed as a reindeer to Kim Possible. 

However, the group narrowed the competition down to two characters: Spider-Man and Jack Sparrow. After a quick show of skills, Jack Sparrow won to thunderous applause. Katie Moyers, a sophomore dance major, was the face under the costume.
 

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"I feel absolutely honored," Moyers said. "I had so much fun, and it was great to have an event that brought together all the tracks in the theatre and dance building. I love to dress up, so this was really fun.”

Dance-off winner Brown chose as her prize a Cleveland Cavaliers scarf and a poster from “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Moyers’ bounty included a Michael Jackson tote bag and a “Wicked” poster. Runner-ups received their choice of candy. 
 

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What's next: The CSU School of Theatre and Dance is currently running its production of “Rent” through Nov. 8 at the Playhouse Square Allen Theatre. Tickets are $24 for general admission. CSU students can get tickets for $5 CSU with the student code: STUCSU.