On Saturday, Oct. 18 there will be “No Kings 2.0” protests across the United States. More than 2,200 events are already scheduled. Many participants plan to incorporate fun and creative activities as a way to connect with others and to raise people’s spirits. Here in Tucson two friends will be adding their own creative dash of spooky fun to one of Tucson’s No Kings events, the Defend Tucson, ¡Tucson Se Defiende! (DTSD) rally being held downtown.
Florence Johnson and Margo Itule are involved with local activism and wanted a way to encourage other people to get involved. Their goal was to create a fun project that would bring strangers together for a common cause. They also wanted it to be a healthy activity and something that would get people a little bit out of their comfort zones. Johnson said she had an a-ha moment recalling a “Thriller” flash mob she had participated in years ago.
“It was just so fun and I was thinking we could do that here and make masks of the administration for the dance leaders to wear. The zombie dancers could represent their followers, those who just go along with whatever the president says,” Johnson said. “I knew Margo could make the masks. She is a wonderful artist and makes protest art all the time,”
On Sunday the duo held their first of two dance practices led by a volunteer instructor. Around twenty people showed up to work on choreography. Both Johnson and Itule said anyone is welcome to join the day of the performance, whether or not they’ve attended a practice. There is a tutorial online they recommend for potential zombies who might want to rehearse…