Policies

Dear Participants, Dancers, Sponsors, Volunteers, Event Managers, Thrill The World Supporters, and Fans:

Thrill The World started out as one girl with a laptop, with the crazy notion of having a sense of global unity by dancing at the exact same moment.  Ines Markeljevic began extensively planning her vision. TTW grew into an annual event thanks to many caring volunteers who believed in the vision and who facilitated in making this a worldwide event. 

It  has been brought to our attention that a few groups are dancing on incorrect dates and times or are performing a different choreography yet are promoting their events as official Thrill The World.  Please understand this is a violation of our community’s mandate, and using Thrill The World logos to promote non-official events is intellectual property theft.  In addition, it is confusing for others to know which is the actual event. 

Thrill The World is only one day each year - the Saturday before Halloween.  It is not on Halloween, not 2 or 3 weeks before, and not in the spring.   It is one special day along with a special time designated by the Global Team for the worldwide simultaneous dance event.  TTW must take place on the date and time set by TTW or consequently a dance group will not be counted as part of the worldwide event and will not be included in our Official International Video.  It is also incredibly unfair and a policy violation to lead participants to think otherwise.  It is misleading to the spectators who attend the local event, to the media who support it, and to the dancers who specifically participate in the worldwide unity of those 6 minutes of dancing.

We are aware that the date and time selected might not work for everyone, and it is certainly permissible for a group to hold their own Thriller-themed, non-Thrill The World dance events whenever they would like.  However, if  they choose an alternate date and time other than is set by the TTW Global Team, their event cannot be called Thrill The World.  Likewise, if they are hosting their own independent "Thriller" dance on a day other than the official Thrill Day, they cannot use TTW logos, images, artwork, text, TTW materials, etc.  If a group is promoting our upcoming worldwide Thrill Day event at charity fundraisers or other events, then it is perfectly acceptable to use the TTW logos and other materials.  Marketing tips for promoting Thrill The world and announcing a TTW local event on organizers' websites can be found in the Event Manager's Guide.  This message is intended for clarification so that everyone is on the same page regarding event rules and policies.   If it has been reported and proven that an event organizer is not abiding by these guidelines, it will result in losing the privilege of being a Thrill The World Event Manager.  

We perform the TTW choreography.  This is not the original Thriller dance.  The original is 2-3 minutes, and our version is 6 minutes to the hit song "Thriller."  If there is a group with medical issues, we will make an allowance for dancing halfway through.  All other groups are expected to perform the routine in its entirety.  A video from all other groups submitted to us with only part of the routine performed will not be included in our official international video.

Although the Thrill The World event is a performance synchronized with groups around the world, it is not a flash mob.  On any other day of the year that is not TTW, the routine may be performed in a flash mob style, but on the date and time set for Thrill The World, we do not advertise this event as a flash mob.  Please follow suit with this  principle when promoting your TTW event.

After each TTW Event, the Global Team sets the date when all videos are due to be included in the Official International Video.  The editing is done on a volunteer basis and is time consuming.  If an organizer exceeds the due date, it will result in not being included in the video. Please coordinate with your videographer to submit your video in time as we would like to include all vidoes of the groups that participated.

TTW  is a volunteer-run event.  There are many passionate individuals in this global Thrill network donating numerous hours of their time.  Since  TTW's inception in 2007, the cumulative volunteer work has reached thousands of hours.  Whether you are new to the TTW zombie family, whether you have been here from the early years of this global family, or whether you are just coming back home again to join the TTW Community, we thank you for the  difference that each and everyone of you have made in your communities and with individuals in ways you know, in ways you see, and in all of the ways you will never know.  Just know that you had a positive  impact on someone, somewhere.

Yours in dance and unity,

The Global Team