New Details About Michael’s Concerts

Details about preparing 50 concerts in London in 2009 and 2010 have remained hidden. But LA Times reports that four days a week, in the mornings, an SUV with tinted windows has been taking Michael Jackson out of a building in California and to a recording studio—where, along with 10 dancers and the best choreographers for pop music, he practices for six hours.

Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live, the company organizing Michael’s concerts in London, says that Michael’s concerts are an innovative move in the world of art and also a record-holder in terms of the net cost of this kind of show, since the budget for these concerts is more than $20 million. "These concerts will be the biggest, most expensive, and most technically advanced in history."

Phillips has dismissed rumors about the use of animals in these concerts. He says he has sworn to keep things secret, which is why he won’t say anything about what fans will see at Michael’s concerts. However, he reveals that the shows will use aerial stunt moves from Cirque du Soleil, performed in the air.

59-year-old Kenny Ortega, director and choreographer, is in charge of designing and directing these concerts. Ortega has worked with Michael for years. Having been the director of the highly successful high school musical film and having also worked on Madonna’s concerts, he said he was very eager to collaborate with Michael again.

"My answer to the offer to work with Michael was immediate: nothing would be able to stop me from taking part in these concerts. Working with Michael on the Dangerous and History tours were two of the biggest experiences of my life. Being invited to collaborate with him again is a dream come true for me. Working with Michael is always a real, complete collaboration. He is a creative mastermind. He is the most remarkable artist, showman, and entertainer of our time."

Travis Payne also works with Michael as assistant director and choreographer. He has collaborated with Michael on many of his performances at various awards ceremonies, and he has also worked with Michael in the video Scream and on the Dangerous and History tours. Beyond working with Michael, he has collaborated with artists such as Beyoncé and Madonna, and has worked as a choreographer on competitions like Dancing With the Stars (a tribute to Michael’s dancing), So You Think You Can Dance, and Everybody Loves Raymond. He has hosted Popstars and has worked as a choreographer on many films, music videos, and commercial advertisements. He once won a choreography award at the American Awards and has won MTV awards several times.

Todd Sams is another choreographer who works with Michael on the concerts. He has worked for many artists on their concerts.

The casting notice for dancers for the London concerts brought 700 people from all over the world—such as London, France, New York, and Australia—to Los Angeles. One of the Australian dancers who wasn’t selected says: "Jazz and hip-hop style dancers had also come. You could say that a very large number of them were die-hard Michael Jackson fans who grew up watching his dancing since childhood."

Michael was present on the second day of the dancer selection. One of the managers from dance institutions that prepare dancers for such concerts compares the audition in Michael’s presence to a test performed on basketball players in Michael’s presence—featuring Michael Jordan, the American basketball legend.

Another dancer who wasn’t selected says: "While dancing for an artist who is so incredible and who everyone looks up to as a role model, I had the best feeling of my life. He has perfected his craft."

According to Ortega and Phillips, Michael is involved in everything. They say he is working on a move that he hopes will be as distinctive and unique as the moonwalk.

"He’s working on it." Phillips says no more than that. "I’ve sworn to keep it secret."

Phillips continues that Michael, in order to prepare himself for the concerts, does aerobic exercise with a personal trainer, and in dance rehearsals with dancers who are half his age, he hasn’t faced any difficulty or problem.

Kenny Ortega says that besides the excitement of the preparation rehearsals, they also make time to rest:

"An idea comes to mind, and we’re ready to complete it and carry it out. Michael says, ‘Let’s put it off to the next day.’ The next day he returns to the studio, pushes that idea to a higher level, and brings us in so we can get better results."

Source: eMJey / LA Times / Press Association / Sky News