Students at the Oasis Academy in Coulsdon were told to beat it this week after their world record attempt was overshadowed by Mexican fans.
The academy received confirmation from the Guinness Book of World Records they had succeeded in beating the previous world record with 376 people dancing to a Michael Jackson themed ‘Thriller’ dance.
The students beat the previous world record set in Virginia, America, by a group of 242 college students but unfortunately, in the time it took judges to process the attempt, Mexican fans did the same routine with more than 13,000 people.
Dance director, Chane Van der Berg, said: “I’m so proud of our students and really pleased for them that our attempt has been officially recognised. It’s not everyone who can say they are world record holders – even though we only held the record for four weeks.”
The performance was scheduled to coincided with Michael Jackson’s memorial service on July 7 and attracted global interest.
Reports of the academy’s attempt appeared in newspapers in Belgium, Australia and even the Wall Street Journal.
Principal David Millar said: “When we set the date for the world record attempt we had no idea of how significant an event it would be.
"It was a very poignant experience for many students and the media interest was quite phenomenal.”
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