Michael Jackson is gone but performers in the Santa Clarita Valley and around the world proved Saturday that his classic "Thriller" dance lives on.

Eight Fright Fest dancers and dozens of spectators at Six Flags Magic Mountain joined others in the United States and Mexico to set a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous dance to Jackson's "Thriller."

"Nothing has ever come to me where I (could) be part of a record," said Thriller dancer Alyssa Sherman-Ordaz, of Stevenson Ranch.

"It's mind-boggling."

Six Flags theme parks throughout the United States and Mexico joined the worldwide attempt.

The dance took place at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time along with all coordinating time zones in 42 countries. The communal dance marked "Thrill the World's" third attempt to set a new record, with a goal of 10,000 to 50,000 individuals dancing to "Thriller."

"Thrill the World" exists to organize these annual attempts to break the world record for the largest "Thriller" dance and to raise money for charity in some cities. In 2008, 91 venues from 13 different countries participated in the event.

At Magic Mountain on Saturday, as soon as the music queued and dancers struck their zombie moves, crowds of park goers began to huddle around the stage in front of Gotham City.

"I didn't expect a huge crowd and when we got a huge crowd, it bumped up my energy," Sherman-Ordaz said. "I had a blast."

Although Fright Fest dancers have performed the "Thriller" dance for years, Jackson's untimely death brings added significance to its performance this year, said park spokeswoman Sue Carpenter.

"It's an honor for them to do this as a tribute to him," Carpenter said.

Participating parks are asked to film their dance to provide an accurate count of the number of dancers and spectators.

For the choreographer, the opportunity to perform the dance for a world record was a "fantasy come true," he said.

"I've been doing ‘Thriller' ever since I was five," said Huey Scott, of North Hollywood. "I used to want to major in ‘Thriller' (in school), that's how much I loved it."

"I'm shocked the world is still recognizing it the way I recognize it as a fan," he added.

Scott's challenge was to choreograph a theatrical performance lasting the entire track, without taking away from the genius of the original, he said. Then, he had five days to teach it to his crew.

Scott incorporated himself into the dance as Six Flags character Mr. Six, who was supposed to portray Michael Jackson's role from the music video.

"You have to push yourself to learn the choreography and every little detail," said Sherman-Ordaz. "For the amount of time we had to learn it in, it was pretty difficult."

The performance caught the attention of park visitors Caitlin Julian and Tom Valencia from San Diego.

"We saw it when we came off a ride and we love Michael Jackson so we came over," said Tom Valencia, 27. "Who doesn't love ‘Thriller'? They did a great job."

Alexis Almaraz, of San Bernardino, said no other dance can top "Thriller."

"It's a classic," she said.

Fright Fest dancers will continue their routine twice-a-night performances of "Thriller" until Fright Fest ends on Saturday. Fright Fest hours continue 10:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.