Eight years ago, Redmond Zombies co-founder and dance instructor Teresa Osborn saw an opportunity to bring “Thriller” to the Seattle area. The year before, “Thrill the World” founder Ines Markeljevic had started the worldwide effort, encouraging people to dance together.

Osborn never envisioned that she’d still be leading hordes of zombies in the annual world-wide simultaneous dance event eight years later. This year’s event will take place from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Redmond Town Center.

“It started as something fun to do and a way to encourage people to learn to dance,” Osborn says. “I didn’t realize we’d end up with close to 200 people the first year, a way to give back to local charities, and an event that families attend and perform in every year and now consider a tradition.”

The annual October event consistently draws several thousand spectators to Redmond Town Center to watch more than 200 dancers perform a choreographed performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to raise money for charity. The Redmond Zombies team hosts the largest group of “Thrill the World” dancers in the world each year. Redmond Zombies has also raised more than $20,000 for local nonprofits under the “Thrill the World” umbrella, including Second Story Repertory and First Tee. This year, Team Survivor Northwest, a local nonprofit focused on providing fitness and health activities for women dealing with cancer, is the beneficiary.

“Thrill the World” Redmond attracts dancers from as far away as Mukilteo and Woodinville, and spans an age range from 6 years old to 80 years old.

More information about the event can be found at http://www.thrilltheworld.org/redmond