Amber Bianchi and friends attended a recent zombie prom in Sacramento.

A gruesome pandemic sweeps the world. Many are infected, and walk the earth as hideous, disfigured cannibals, attacking loved ones and further spreading the plague.
After that, they go to dances.

Amber Bianchi, Davis resident and Zombie Queen hopeful, attended the Sacramento Horror and Sci-fi Convention’s annual Zombie Ball, in full-blown zombie makeup and a formal dress.
“I love zombies so much,” Bianchi said. “I went to my boyfriend’s high school prom when he was a senior, and this is more fun.”

Zombie proms are just one manifestation of the zombie survival craze that has been pervading the horror subculture, and popular culture as a whole.
2002’s hit, 28 Days Later, which re-imagined zombies as quickly-moving, disease-carrying creatures, and the release of horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, a fear – and adoration – of the undead has come back to life.
Video games, such as the multi player zombie survival game franchise Left 4 Dead, have brought new levels of realism and depth to zombies, in addition to their well-documented presence in comic books, novels, and most other Internet-accessible forms of media.
Some zombie enthusiasts go so far as developing escape and survival plans. But Granite Bay High School senior, Harry Josephson who is the president of the Zombie Survival Club, thinks it’s just for fun.
“Zombies are really simple and easy to explain,” Josephson said. “They’re just people who are hungry for (human) flesh.”
The appeal of zombie-related horror films and games stems from their lack of a detailed explanation, Josephson added.
“(A zombie film is) not like (a) monster movie; you don’t have to go into an epic one-hour thing explaining what the monster is, because you know it’s a zombie,” Josephson said.
Mike Hampton, Sacramento resident, is the creator of Hot Zombie Chicks, a comic book series. He also does zombie caricatures on commission, most recently at the Sacramento Horror and Sci-fi Convention.
“Most of the time, (my clients) laugh, and they love it and (say) ‘oh, it’s awesome,’ Hapton said. “Then they’ll go show their friends and family.”
For those not satisfied by merely a portrait of themselves as a zombie, local organization Trash Film Orgy puts on a yearly Zombie Walk, in which participants storm the streets of Midtown Sacramento in zombie costume and make-up.
According to Wikipedia and Christi Savage, TFO’s zombie walks, now a national phenomenon, originated in Sacramento, with the first documented walk occurring in 2001.
“We said, ‘oh, if we do a zombie parade, then we’ll make a spectacle and everyone will know about us.’” Savage said. “So we went bowling with zombies, we did the zombie parade, and then everyone else (started) doing zombie walks.”
July’s zombie walk had around 1000 undead in attendance.
Despite recent problems with crime and police presence at Second Saturday, a monthly art walk and traditional location of the zombie walk, Savage said police have been cooperative.
“We’d walk down K street, and one of the years, the cop cars were driving around, (yelling) ‘Brains!’ over their loudspeakers, which was hilarious,” Savage said.
The pro-undead sentiment seen in pop culture recently shows no signs of dying off, Hampton said.
“It’s about the way people react to the world being no more. The conformity and the infrastructure of society is gone, and it’s all about bare necessities,” Hampton said. “That’s more interesting to me than the zombies themselves.”
Bianchi also cited the zombies’ timelessness.
“I think everybody wants to find a way to cure death, and to keep on living.” Bianchi said. “Even (if) it’s a horrible, contaminated, let’s-eat-everybody-and-destroy-the-world (existence), it’s still comforting to (know) there’s something after this.”

   As they slowly approach, they start to hear pounding beats, laughing and the sound of dozens of bodies moving in sync. What is this unknown sound? It’s the rhythm of Zumba.

   “Zumba is a cardio dance fitness class that disguises exercise so that people don’t realize they are working out and burning calories,” GBHS aerobics teacher Dede Walker said.

   Zumba was founded in the ‘90s by “Beto” Perez. It has gained popularity in the United States over the past few years – 7.5 million people now participate in Zumba every day in 105 countries on 6 continents.

   Zumba combines contemporary Latin, pop and hip-hop music with aerobic move­ments and traditional Latin dance styles to create a fat and calorie-burning exercise routine.

   It’s easy to wonder what has so many people hooked on this new workout rou­tine.

   “People tend to get really bored stepping onto treadmills and just doing the same old workout everyday” Walker said. “Zumba mixes it up and makes it fun to dance and move to upbeat Latin and pop music.”

   This dance-inspired exercise routine isn’t only popular because of the music.

   “If you are energetic and (exaggerate the dance moves), you can burn up to 800 calories in a 55 minute session,” Walker said.

   However, it requires focus and hard work to achieve those results.

   “If you do it like you’re supposed to, it’s a good workout,” GBHS junior Drew Fisher said. “But if you just mess around, it doesn’t do anything.”

   Another draw to Zumba is that it can be more social than the average workout – it provides a more open, fun and high-energy environment.

   “The music and moves just make you forget all your troubles.” Walker said. “I just love it when I am teaching and I see people smiling as they are working out…it’s a great way to relieve stress.”

GBHS teacher Katrina Wachs recently took a Zumba class.

   “I felt Zumba-tastic! I was tired when I got there and it was so energizing,” Wachs said. “All of the day’s stress melted off and I felt like I was in Saturday Night Fever, Latin style.”

GBHS junior Megan McFarland was a student in Mrs. Walker’s aerobics class last year as a sophomore.

   “I enjoy Zumba because it’s fun to listen to all the different music and learn dif­ferent dances to (the songs),” McFarland said.

   Not everyone is quite so enthusiastic about Zumba.

   “I absolutely hate Zumba because it’s too hard to move like Mrs. Walker,” Fisher said. “I also hate it because I don’t under­stand the music or what they’re saying, and it’s kind of cheesy.”

   Another concern is whether or not Zumba is just a passing craze. Other dance-inspired methods of exercise, like Jazzercise or Hip-Hop Abs, were popular for some time, but eventually people grew tired of even these routines.

   “People in this generation are too lazy to follow up with Zumba – we’ll just sit on the couch and get fat instead,” Fisher said.

   “To be honest, I think (it is) just a craze that will pass in a few years,” McFarland said.

   Some have a different opinion.

   “I think this will be a pioneer. I predict we will see many more forms of classes such as this,” Wachs said.    “They are smart to make it a fun, party atmosphere where people can come together and do some­thing good for themselves.”

   Walker has yet another opinion.

   “Zumba is hot right now and I’m sure will fade as other workouts have faded in the past,” Walker said. “If I keep chang­ing the routines and keep it fun and fresh, people continue to come to class and see results. A fitness fad is only as good as its following. As long as I’m healthy I will be Zumba-ing my little heart out.”

  ‘Oh, it’ll be fun,’ I tell myself, as I spend seven hours doing my makeup and hair. ‘I’ll just dance like no one’s watching. No one will care.’ It’s a flimsy rationale, I admit, but one that works every time.

  But reality hits all too hard as soon as I enter the gymnasium, auto-tuned music blaring and a zillion moshing minors blending into one pulsating, throbbing amorphous blob. To say that I feel out of place wouldn’t even begin to suffice; I feel like a paraplegic watching an acrobatics show.

  Believe it or not, I do have a point buried in this sad little anecdote.

  As a generation, I think we need to ask ourselves a few serious questions: Girls, since when is it okay to spend an hour and a half rubbing your rear against some poor schmuck you can’t even make eye contact with?

  And guys, since when is it morally acceptable to get a woman that close to the zipper of your jeans without even asking their first name?

  And to everyone, everyone, who spends the entire evening smack in the middle of that psychotic human tide pool: Are you really going to look back on this, your hands on someone else’s thighs and a stranger’s badonk-a-donk inches from your face, as a particularly smart decision?

  Now, to be clear, I have no problem with dancing, nor PDA, nor the subsequent hybrid that I’ve so eloquently described. If that’s really the kind of stuff you’re into, who am I to judge?

  But it’s the vulgar nature of these dances, combined with the relative anonymity of both partners, that disgusts me so. Let’s be honest: There’s a reason why nightclubs are dark. Nobody really wants to see two total strangers commingling. It’s just not considered socially acceptable in most circumstances. How, then, does a school dance differ?

  “But, Haley,” you say, “I only dance with my closest, bestest buddies. Surely that’s moral?”

  Well, yes. But it’s still meaningless promiscuity. I mean, when have you ever heard someone say, “It was fun grinding with you last night. Give me a call sometime.”

  Maybe our parents had it right. Whenever I watch Sixteen Candles, or one of those other sappy 80’s teen movies, I can’t help but envy my mom and dad. Their dances were perfect: Monogamous, romantic, and required only minimal physical coordination. Oh, what a glorious age.

  Even Grandma has a leg up on my generation, when it comes to partying. She occasionally tells me stories of her youth, a dreamy look in her eyes. According to her (and the few films I’ve seen on RetroPlex), the 40’s and 50’s were a pretty good decade to party in. Everything was glamorous and beautiful – yes, there were horrific things going on in those Golden Years, yet they remain Golden just the same. Maybe there’s a good reason for that.

  Now, I’m not trying to demonize those of us who partake in school dances. You’re braver than I, if nothing else. And I may not see the fun in invading the personal bubble of twelve different people simultaneously, but if that’s what “dancing” is to you, then to each his own, I suppose.

  I myself will almost certainly attend Bogus Ball tonight, all dolled-up for a party I feel unwelcome at.  But so be it; I may not be one for freaking, but I can certainly understand the appeal of lowered inhibitions, impulsiveness, and music so loud you can’t hear yourself think.

  See you tonight.