August 1, 2015 – After two seasons of entertainment cuts and setbacks, Halloween Horror Nights has appeared to enlist the help of the JabbaWockeeZ for this year’s entertainment, according to a group member’s post on Instagram, and alluded to on the group’s main account.
In contrast to Bill & Ted’s emphasis on satire and parody, JabbaWockeeZ is a male hip-hop dance crew, featuring complex choreography routines coupled with rhythmic lighting and music. The group is also known for their trademark white masks, and their notable appearances on America’s Best Dance Crew and America’s Got Talent.
While it is unknown whether the JabbaWockeeZ will be featured in the Castle Theater (which has traditionally held Universal’s flagship Halloween Horror Nights show), the group’s introduction marks a significant shift from years of cutbacks and cancelations. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure and the Purge Auctioneer were both removed in 2013 and 2014, respectively, after garnering controversy surrounding their explicit content. JabbaWockeeZ, in contrast, appears to be devoid of any controversial content.
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Update: August 4, 2015 – We’ve included Universal’s official press release below.
Universal City, California, August 4, 2015 – Jabbawockeez, the highly-accomplished, award-winning hip hop dance group, universally recognized as America’s best dance crew, will bring their innovative choreography, intricate synchronized style and signature white masks to Universal Studios Hollywood in an electrifying new show during “Halloween Horror Nights,” beginning Friday, September 18, 2015.
Currently starring in the acclaimed “PRiSM” show at the Luxor in Las Vegas, and following up with a newly reimagined performance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this fall, the Jabbawockeez are considered dance movement pioneers having shattered the glass ceiling for dance groups worldwide as the first dance crew to ever headline their own show in Las Vegas.
The all-new, high energy Jabbawockeez show, created exclusively for “Halloween Horror Nights,” will transport guests into a new realm of gravity-defying choreography accompanied by stunning special effects, pulse-pounding music and the Jabbawockeez unique brand of humor. This “Halloween Horror Nights” show will also mark their introduction into horror-themed entertainment and will take place at the park’s Castle Theatre venue, performing multiple times per night throughout the event.
“The Jabbawockeez are the perfect complement to ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ as we continually seek to elevate our event with compelling, cutting edge entertainment,” said John Murdy, Universal Studios Hollywood Creative Director and Executive Producer of “Halloween Horror Nights.” Their progressive art form parallels our groundbreaking approach to creating movie quality haunted attractions and we are excited to collaborate with them to infuse their energetic Las Vegas show into our ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ event.”
“Halloween Horror Nights” 2015 at Universal Studios Hollywood kicks off on Friday, September 18, 2015 and continues on select nights through November 1. The popular event brings together the sickest minds in horror to immerse guests in a living, breathing, three-dimensional world of terror. Featuring an all-new slate of unrivaled film production quality mazes, frightful scare zones and a fully re-imagined “Terror Tram” experience uniquely themed to today’s most definitive horror properties, “Halloween Horror Nights” will taunt, terrorize and torment guests with spine-chilling haunted attractions during Southern California’s most extreme Halloween experience.
Recent maze announcements include, “Guillermo del Toro Presents Crimson Peak: Maze of Madness,” based on Legendary and Universal Pictures’ much-anticipated Crimson Peak film directed, co-written and produced by celebrated filmmaker Guillermo del Toro; “The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far,” based on season 5 of the critically-acclaimed, Emmy Award®-winning television series, and “Insidious: Return to the Further,” based on the bone-chilling Insidious film trilogy.
Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal.
Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby aimed at providing families and fans a resource for all things “Universal Studios Hollywood.” Since then, the website has taken him throughout the United States and around the world – including to places like Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore.
Jon currently resides in Santa Cruz, California. You may reach him at jon@insideuniversal.net.
