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Moline freshman thrills school with act

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By David Burke | Saturday, May 24, 2008 |

Jon-Luc Moore, a Moline High School freshman, re-creates the dance moves from Michael Jackson's famed music video "Thriller" with the help of 13 fellow students during the school's monthly talent show Friday afternoon. (John Schultz/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

The curtains in the Moline High School auditorium parted, and, with the bodies of 13 classmates lying on the stage, Jon-Luc Moore emerged from a cloud of smoke.

The horror-movie intro quickly gave way to the sounds of Michael Jackson’s hit song “Thriller,” and Moore, a Moline freshman, led his fellow students in a faithful re-creation of the dance moves from the groundbreaking 1983 video.

As the dancers gathered around him in time for horrormeister Vincent Price’s cackle that concluded the song, the auditorium full of fellow students gave Moore a standing ovation Friday afternoon, concluding the monthly 7th Period Sounds talent show at the school.

“I had an idea for it and ‘Thriller’ just popped up,” the 14-year-old said with a grin. “I think I’m like a school sensation now.”

Ron May, the Moline High School music teacher who’s in charge of 7th Period Sounds, said Moore originally auditioned as a solo act, but he persuaded the teenager to add backup dancers.

From there, “he took charge of it. He did it all himself,” May added. “He took responsibility for it himself. I can’t state that enough.”

Cindy Moore said she was impressed that her son oversaw the project from idea to completion.

“He told me and it kind of grew from there,” she said. “He actually created this whole thing by himself.”

Moore put out fliers to recruit dancers. They worked for six hours a week for two months to put on “Thriller.”

He stuck with the video’s original choreography, except for one move that he added.

“I wanted to see if I could make the old into the new,” he explained.

Moore, who was on stage during his grade school years as a cast member in the high school production of “Oliver!,” says he wants to be an actor when he grows up.

He’s already contemplating a sequel for next school year.

But “I don’t think there’s anything that could top this,” he said.

“Next year is an opportunity to go a little more over-the-top than this year,” his mother said.

May said 7th Period Sounds — which included several rock bands, a percussion duel and a classical pianist Friday — was established to give high schoolers a chance to perform.

“There is no place anymore for kids to learn how to do this stuff,” he said. “They can’t all go on ‘American Idol,’ for goodness sake.”

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.