MANAYUNK

Published by: Nicolette Patete, Public Relations, Social Media, and Events Assistant

It was a zombie takeover at this year’s Halloween in Manayunk! Children and adults alike strolled along Main Street on Saturday, October 26 in their ghoulish, zombie best! But these creatures of the undead weren’t inspired from the popular show The Walking Dead as one might think; instead, they were gearing up for Manayunk’s very first (and hopefully annual) Zombie Thriller Dance-Off!

 It was set to start at 2 p.m., but the streets were  crowded well before then with families trick-or- treating, making their way to the Fall Festival at  Pretzel Park, and browsing the vintage treasures at  the Philadelphia Flea Market which was stationed in  the Richard’s Apex Lot on Main Street between  Rector and Pensdale Streets. Local merchants  invited tons of costumed cuties in to fill their  Manayunk Halloween bags with tons of candy and  goodies while groups of adorably dressed up dogs  paraded up and down the street.

When they finished hitting up the participating businesses and couldn’t possibly fit any more sweets in their bags, many families proceeded to Pretzel Park to check out their festive fall activities offering fun for the whole family! Festivities included pumpkin painting, story time, dance performances, a fall photo booth and more!

When it finally came time for the Dance-Off to start, Cotton Street was filled with tons of Zombies and spectators! Local choreographer and Merge Dance Studio Owner, Christa Campbell, led a quick tutorial and run-through before the real competition began. We started off with the Kids Category and could barely contain ourselves while watching these incredibly adorable, pint-sized dancers! While some of the really little ones were happy just to shimmy and sway to the beat of the music, we were really impressed by how well some of the contestants were able to follow along with the classic Thriller moves. Their costumes were really awesome too! Our personal favorite was definitely the little Zombie MJ, dressed in the full red leather Thriller outfit and spooky zombie makeup!

When the adults stepped up to the dance floor, you could tell that this certainly wasn’t their first time running through the choreography - they were in it to win it! As soon as the music started, these zombies came to life and really broke it down!  This made for a really, REALLY tough decision! But that was only half the battle. From the fake open wounds and severed skin to the destroyed and cob-web-covered wardrobe, we were absolutely blown away by how realistic and creepy the adult zombie costumes were!

 To kill time while the judges  deliberated,  Christa  taught the  group another spooky  dance, ‘Doin’  the  Zombie’. By the time all  of the  dancers mastered the  moves, the    judges had made up their minds.  Prizes  were awarded to the Best  Dancers and the  Best  Zombie  Costumes in the Kids and  Adults  Categories.

 The winners are as follows:

KIDS

Best Dancer: Kaylee Carr - $50

Best Costume: Jadir Dasilva (Zombie MJ)- $50

ADULTS

Best Dancer

            1^ST Place: Coral Torres - $250

            2^nd Place: Tie - Alissa Nocito-Malandro &Kristen Gravinese - $100 Each

            3^rd Place: Erika Clark - $50

Best Zombie Costume

            1^st Place: Jeffery Mcardle - $250

            2^nd Place: Devon Chaban - $100

            3^rd Place: Michael Riviere - $50

Overall, this year's Halloween in Manayunk was a huge success and we can't wait to do it all again next year!

To view photos of our Trick-or-Treaters and the Zombie Thriller Dance-Off, click here.

To view a short video clip of the Zombie Thriller Dance-Off, click here.