Chicago’s ‘Thriller’ Flash Mob Bigger Than Ever After 14 Years

NORTHALSTED — In 2012, Julie Dahlinger saw a poster advertising a “Thriller” flash mob at her local laundromat on Clark Street. Organized by Troy Hilbrands, it was meant to be a one-time pop-up performance at the Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade. When the original dance instructor couldn’t make it to rehearsals due to a broken ankle, Dahlinger, a longtime Michael Jackson fan and “Thriller” dance expert, stepped up to lead the group of about seven people. “I ve been an MJ fan since I was teeny-tiny and made sure that I really knew the steps before I went” to the first rehearsal, Dahlinger told Block Club. “It was literally one of those, ‘I ve been preparing my whole life for this moment’ moments,” she said. “Troy was just like, ‘Does anybody know the dance?’ And I was like, ‘I mean, kind of.’ And the rest is history.” View this post on Instagram Fourteen years later, with Dahlinger still at the helm, the Chicago Thriller Flash Mob is an annual tradit