Travis Payne Says Michael Told Him

Travis Payne, the famous choreographer, longtime friend of Michael and assistant producer for the This Is It tour, tells Michael in an exclusive interview with MJPortal.com: "When I was 5 years old, I saw the first video of Michael Jackson. I was instantly amazed by his dancing and music. Before I started dancing at age 9, I listened to Michael and his brothers’ songs." "Every day before going to middle school and high school, I watched Michael and Jannet videos while I was eating breakfast. I imagined myself on stage performing alongside both of them. For years, that’s what my life was." "I went to watch Michael’s Bad Tour and Jannet’s Rhythm Nation. I knew all the dances. Me and my friends sent Jannet a video in which I performed her Rhythm Nation tour dance. A week later, I traveled to Japan to meet Jannet and join her tour." "After I ran a tour with Jannet when I was 19, I auditioned for Michael’s video, Remember the Time. That was my first job with Michael. It was truly a dream coming true. After that, I joined Michael as a dancer on the Dangerous Tour. While doing that tour, I became Michael’s dance choreographer’s assistant. We performed at the 1993 American Music Awards and in 1995 at the MTV Awards. After that, I worked with Michael on the History tour and the film Ghosts. For the This Is It tour, I was the assistant director and choreographer. In the film, I was also the assistant producer." "At first, my relationship with Michael revolved around art and creativity, and then it turned into a special friendship. Michael trusted me. During the This Is It project, Michael, Kenny, and I were always together to create the best thing we could." "(After hearing the news of Michael’s death) I felt numb and emotionally shut down. I still can’t believe he’ll never call me again to give me a new idea. I really miss those phone calls. (Team members) were all devastated. We couldn’t stay away from each other. For days after Michael’s death, we met in another place so we could stay together to support one another." "Working on This Is It was intense but enjoyable. We felt a lot of responsibility, and it grew day by day. Michael was very clear that he wanted to create the best show that fans and the world had ever seen. There was never any tension. But we were aware of the energy and creativity needed to make Michael’s dream come true." "Michael had become more mature in his art and in his awareness of his responsibility to this planet. Everything that stood in his way was based on love, peace, goodwill, and happiness. He loved his fans, our planet, and his family. He always shared his concerns with the world through his music and art. But the world truly didn’t hear his voice. Michael felt he needed to return to the stage to remind us of our individual and collective responsibilities toward the Earth. This time, he was more passionate than ever about the message he had. He said, ‘This is the end now! We have to put an end to this chaos.’ All these environmental problems and poverty in the world affected Michael more than people think." "This time, Michael was the father of three children. They were old enough to understand what their father loved so much: performing for his fans. Michael was young enough to be able to do it again." "Michael was definitely ready to perform concerts. The 50 concerts planned for London would be done over 9 months. Michael, on average, had 2 to 3 shows every week." "‘Dome Project’ was the code name used during the production process for This Is It. I hope the songs Michael wrote during this time reach people around the world. Especially the new songs I heard before Michael’s death." "I know that another Michael Jackson will never come. He was the instrument of nature and a unique person." "Michael pushed boundaries in every aspect of entertainment and programming, in charity and humanitarian actions. Let’s remember his spirit when we’re together. Loving each other isn’t hard. We learned violent behavior like reading and writing." At the end, when asked about the idea that some believe Michael is alive and his death was a hoax, Travis says: "I’ve heard that rumor and I don’t believe it. Michael would never have trapped his children, family, and fans in such a show. He isn’t that kind of person. He knew it was selfish because it would hurt many of his fans. He was ready to take the stage again and do what he was best at. Change the world." Source: eMJey / mjportal.com