A ‘Thrilling’ Performance
A ‘Thrilling’ Performance
Villaggio brings Fusion Dance Studio back for a ‘Thriller’ Halloween
Few songs are more iconic this time of year than Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. Nick Pitillo, owner of Villaggio, is excited to welcome back the dance studio that brings this song to life right in front of his restaurant on Monroe Street. On Saturday, October 29, Kelli Wagner, owner and director of Fusion Dance Studio of Buffalo, will be bringing her troupe of nearly 60 dancers to perform for the Ellicottville community at 8:30pm and 9:30pm. Each year’s performance incorporates a new or surprising element, and this year audience members have the chance to get involved!
The idea for a “Thriller” performance began in October of 2013 when Pitillo opened his Buffalo restaurant, Osteria 166. His nephew, Michael Perry, loved Halloween and had been working with a dance studio in Hamburg for a few years. “When we opened, Michael wanted to have a Halloween party,” Pitillo recalled. “Although I resisted, he ran with it. He contacted his friends at the dance studio and they performed the ‘Thriller’ dance, and it was a huge hit!”
Despite a mishap with a smoke machine that set off the fire alarms, the event was a success. Sadly, Michael passed away a few years later, and the Hamburg dance studio stopped doing the ‘Thriller’ dance. “I reached out to my friend, Kelli Wagner, and shared the idea with her, and the rest is history, as they say,” said Pitillo. “Kelli and her kids have been knocking it out of the park for years now. When we opened Villaggio in 2015, it was a perfect fit to host the event on Monroe Street. It has been a huge success!” Pitillo partners with the Winery of Ellicottville to host a dinner for the dancers in their event space each year, proving that it really does take a village.
For Wagner, it feels like just yesterday that her studio did their first performance of the ‘Thriller’ dance for the Ellicottville community. “I can’t believe it’s been seven years,” she said. “Each year, we stay true to ‘Thriller’ but incorporate some new choreography, too. One year, we added baby zombies, a surprise element, and we have a lot of tumbling we incorporate, too.”
Wagner’s students rehearse for about six hours a week during the month leading up to the performance. She explained, “We have a few different competition teams, and the ages for our team kids that are involved range from seven to 18-years-old. Each team rehearses separately, and we have big rehearsals where all the kids are together.”
Not only is the choreography creative, but so, too, are the dancers’ costumes. Each dancer is responsible for their own costume, and according to Wagner, some of them really embrace the challenge! Zombies of all kinds in scary makeup or colored contact lenses have been seen on Monroe Street. “One brings her skele-dog and walks it out in the beginning with her,” added Wagner. “We also have little trikes that squeak for the little ones, and fog machines, too. It adds another spooky element to the show!”
The performance attracts more and more people each year, with some visitors traveling quite a distance to see the ‘Thriller’ dancers. One year, the Radio City Rockettes shared a video of the ‘Thriller’ performance, which attracted even more people to the spooky annual event. This year, Wagner is pleased to introduce a brand-new element: “In between performances, anyone in the audience who wants to learn part of the chorus can do that with us,” Wagner explained. “We’ll be teaching it and having a zombie dance-off!”
The performance will take place rain, shine, wind or snow, and according to Wagner, they’ve seen it all! During the day on Saturday, Villaggio will be hosting a free pumpkin painting event for kids, co-sponsored by Pumpkinville and Aldrich Painting. “Over the years, this has become a great addition to the Halloween weekend festivities,” said Pitillo. “From the Halloween parade to the pumpkin painting to the Thriller dancers, it’s all about the kids!” During the ‘Thriller’ dance, Villaggio will be accepting donations for the Frank Pitillo Memorial Fund, which is working to replace the lights on the Ellicottville Central School sports field.
Wagner is grateful to Pitillo for hosting this event and all her teachers who help put it together every year - Shari Bentley, Kara Nicotra, and Courtney Scordato. Most importantly, Wagner notes, is the wonderful opportunity this creates for the community and her students to come together. “For some of these kids, this has been - at some point - the first opportunity to perform in front of a live audience,” she pointed out. “Ellicottville has the greatest crowd and the kids feed off the crowd’s reaction. I’m really thankful every year that people love Halloween as much as we do and love coming out to support the kids.”
For more information about Villaggio or Fusion Dance Studio, visit www.villaggioevl.com or www.fusiondancestudio.org and follow them on social media.