It all started March 2009. The
preparations for the highly anticipated Michael Jackson concert, “This Is It”
were underway. It was only the beginning of the end of the Michael Jackson Era.
Auditions were held
in early spring. Kenny Ortega, the director/co-creator, Travis Payne, the
creative associate/choreographer, Stacy Walker, the associate choreographer
Tony Testa, the assistant choreographer, along with others watched over these
auditions. They wanted to find the best, hottest dancers to put on the show. Kenny
Ortega, stated, “The dancers in a Michael Jackson show are an extension of
Michael Jackson, they are an extension of the man.” The bar was set high for
all of those who came to audition. On April 15, 2009 I was giving the
opportunity to speak with some of the chosen dancers. Each of them was
overwhelmed with emotions as they expressed their appreciation for Michael. He
was an inspiration for them, and now here they were performing with their idol.
Some of the dancers had tears of joy streaming down their faces as they spoke
in utter admiration.
Hours upon hours
were spent preparing for 50 sold out concerts! The drills were held at the
Culver Studios. They used green shooting rooms for special effects. These rooms
are where they would do certain moves to show up on the wide screen on stage. Michael
would sit with Bruce Jones, the visual effects supervisor, and would watch over
the practices and the procedures for making the special effects that would be
used on the show. Michael was deeply involved in everything. During the drills,
he would practice the moves with the dancers, and give advice on how to make it
easier and better.
“Endless hours of
practice” doesn’t come close to describing how hard everyone worked. Michael
would spend a lot of time singing with Dorian Holley, the vocal leader. During
the practices involving the dancers, as well as Michael, it would be very
productive. The choreographers and the co-director would get a little
frustrated when the dancers would not provide the level of excellence they
wanted. Michael remained calm and patient, and would not let anyone get
frustrated with one of the dancers. He kept everything composed and under
control, making the hours of practice enjoyable.
When they were
practicing for the song The Way You Make Me Feel there is a transition
where the background changes and Michael has to cue the next move. Before his
cue, he is not facing the background to see the change. He was asked how he
will know when to cue the next move and she said “I’ll feel it”. Michael
Jackson really does feel his music. His performances are done with 100% heart
and soul. You can sense the emotion when he sings and performs. He is very
emotional about his music, after one practice he shed tears.
For each of the
songs there were sound checks. Michael Bearden, the musical director said “He
knows all of his records, he knows all of his tempos, he knows all of his keys
of songs”. During one of the sound checks Michael was humming the right notes
for one of his songs, and continued to do so until the band played it to his
liking. Michael insisted on playing all of his songs the way he wrote them,
with no modern changes. He knows what he wants, and that was shown greatly with
every input he gave.
Every move Michael
made was made just as if he was 20. He is 50 years old, and doesn’t miss a
beat! Although he seemed healthy as ever, he was extremely fragile. You could
see the frustration on his face, and the discomfort, when he was singing a song
without an earpiece. He said it felt like “somebody was shoving a fist down his
ear”. Kenny Ortega was asking Michael about any specific needs he might desire,
and the way he talked to him was very careful. It was similar to the way a
mother would talk to her child. Michael was delicate and needed to be taken
associated with in a certain way. But nothing stopped him from being the
performer he was.
Aside from the
classic songs and the noted moves, Michael’s style of clothes stood out. Zaldy,
the wardrobe designer, thought up epic designs. Michael was all about pushing
the limit, and what he wore is an asset to doing just that. There were
diamonds, and retro colors that only the man, Michael Jackson, would be able to
pull off.
The show wouldn’t
be a show if it wasn’t for every single contributing act, whether it’s a
dancer, a backup singer or part of the band. There are chandelier aerialists,
who were so skilled that watching them alone was mesmerizing. One of them had
the upper body strength to hold her entire self up by only her armpit! The
chandeliers they would be performing on were created around them. Michael was
the start of the show of course, but everyone else was noted too. The backup singers
and dancers would be onstage too, and there would be the occasional solo. There
was an insane guitar solo by Orianthi Panagaris. Michael would stand by her, so
while the audience watched him, they’d watch her too while she performed her
solo.
The green rooms
are the Culver Studios were the base of where they did all of the movie scenes
for the background of the show. For songs like They Don’t really Care About us, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth
Criminal, Thriller and Mad World,
there were insane effects and video scenes! The video scenes they created to go
along with the songs really brought out the essence and the meaning behind each
song, making everything more magical.
The background used for The Way You Make Me Feel set a perfect
romantic mood for the song. A skyscraper construction site was the scene, and
the dancers were found on various places of the site. Their relaxed movements
portrayed the emotions they felt, which was perfect considering the song was all
about the way you make me feel! On stage, a female dancer was a main asset to
the mood. She played the role of the girl that Michael was crazy about, and it
was as if he was crazy about her.
Smooth Criminal had an entirely different feel to
it. Michael along with others shot a black and white scene of Michael running
away, because of the smooth criminal he is. The fact that the scene was done in
black and white emphasized the elegance as well as the level of drama of the
song.
The all time hit song Thriller
just stepped up to a whole new level. I felt like I was really brought to a
graveyard. The horror movie feel was perfect for Thriller. Blood splattered
across the screen and oozed down slowly revealing the creepily written word Thriller.
There was a grave keeper, and many ghosts and zombies that seemed so lifelike.
They trudged towards the camera, each jabbing at it. This is the only video
scene they made in 3-D. I got chills as the undead were prodding objects at me.
It really felt as if I was part of the scene. It would be a real treat for the
audience! On stage Michael and his dancers performed the Thriller dance
that everyone knows and loves. There was smoke and flashing lights and just the
perfect effects to help set the mood. The song and the performance was so
powerful that even after the darkness that ended the act, the effect still
lingered.
In my opinion the most effective
performance would be the one for Mad
World. A remarkable scene of a stunning forest was created. The
peacefulness and the beauty were beaming out of the created landscape. To add
even more importance, they had a little girl in the clip. She was in the forest
and lay down to sleep. They showed her dreams, which started off as scenes of
nature. As the song progressed to a more intense verse crying for the
protection of nature, the girl’s dreams changed to nightmares of destruction.
She awoke to find herself engulfed in what was a beautiful forest, so a forest
that was burning and destroyed. The scene ended with the girl holding a green
plant which was the only sign of living nature in site, looking up at a tractor
that stopped at nothing. Michael’s performance on stage added to the dramatic
effect. He was on a cherry picker, and was raised over the crowed especially
during the intense verses that really called for attention.
Michael wrote about what he liked,
and how he felt. He loved nature so he wrote a song about. Every move he made
was based on feeling. All of Michael’s work reflected who he was. He mentioned
that he appreciated everyone who was a part of the show, and the fans too.
“We’re all one”, he had said to all the performers and instructors.
Unfortunately, the “This Is It”
concerts never had a chance to happen. The last curtain call never had an
opening. Michael Jackson died a week and a few days before the first concert
was meant to take place. He might be gone now, but he left a legacy that will
live on forever throughout the ages. The Michael Jackson Era paved the road to
so many people as an inspiration and an idol. May he rest in peace.
 |
"Love Lives Forever" |
No comments:
Post a Comment