Thriller on 38 community dance performance returns to downtown Geneva

The sixth annual Thriller on 38 event will return to Geneva on Oct. 20. Community members will take to Second Street in true Thriller fashion to put on a free Halloween dance performance for the community.

The performance is led by Vargo’s Dance, a local studio owned by Jamie Vargo. The event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. on Second Street between Route 38 and Hamilton Street, just around the corner from the studio.

This year’s performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will begin at 7:30 p.m. and feature 30 performers. Food trucks and hot cocoa will be available. Live DJs, jugglers, stilt walkers and zombies will provide entertainment throughout the evening.

Vargo said the event started in 2018 as a small sidewalk dance performance by 13 community members for a crowd of about 75 people. In recent years, they have drawn crowds of more than 500 people and are hoping to exceed that this year.

“It was always a family event, but it has truly become a community event,” Vargo said. “It has just become really popular, especially with children and families.”

Vargo’s Dance opened in 2011 in downtown Geneva and hosts many community events. The Thriller on 38 event is performed mainly by community members and a few instructors from the studio.

Vargo said each year they host a four-week-long workshop before the event. Community members audition, the team is assembled and the performers learn the choreography.

More information on the event can be found on the Thriller on 38 Facebook page.