by Kris Wartelle, Louisiana
It is coming and it is big. Really big. Lafayette audiences are in for something many have probably have never seen.
Michael Jackson, ‘The Immortal” World Tour, featuring Cirque du Soleil, is one of the top 10 grossing music tours of all time. The performance will be in Lafayette on Tuesdayand Wednesdayat the Cajundome.
The show first premiered in Montreal in October 2011. Since then, it has been thrilling audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East.
To get an idea of just how big this production is, listen to Laura Silverman, publicist for the tour by Cirque du Soleil.
“This is one of the largest touring shows in the world,” Silverman said. “Thirty trucks and 130 people make this show happen. Michael Jackson ‘The Immortal’ World Tour had a very successful tour across North America in 2012 and since then has been around the world selling out arenas. The show has been extremely successful and is currently ranked the number nine top grossing music tour ever.”
Many might be wondering how Lafayette landed such a large-scale production. Silverman said one of the goals of the show was to allow as many people as possible to see it and celebrate Michael Jackson.
“Part of that includes coming back to North America and hitting some smaller markets that we may have missed the first time around,” she said. “We’re thrilled to be able to play Lafayette and other similar size markets.”
To do that, the arenas in the smaller towns had to be vetted first by a team of technicians who visited each venue in advance. The team had to consider the height restrictions of each stage because of the high flying acrobatics and dance routines so famous in Cirque du Soleil performances.
Silverman said because of that, the show was not able to make it to many smaller markets. Jamie King directs the tour.
Organizers said the show is a departure from the company’s previous touring shows. It features 49 international dancers, musicians, and acrobats, and is presented in a rock concert format that combines the excitement and innovation of Jackson’s music and choreography with Cirque du Soleil’s creativity.
Silverman called it somewhat of a “hybrid,” with Cirque artists performing the acrobatics that people know to the music and choreography of Michael Jackson, creating a rock concert environment.
“You’ll see some of the best dancers in the world performing Michael Jackson’s moves, which they learned from his former dancers,” Silverman said. “But you’ll also see top acrobats moving their bodies in ways you never thought possible.”
One of those dancers, 28-year-old Cameron McKinlay of Alberta, Canada, grew up watching Cirque du Soleil but never thought he would be able to join them as a performer. Even though McKinlay trained at the Banff Center for the Arts, his focus was more ballet, not acrobatics.
Now, with this show, McKinlay is realizing two lifelong dreams. He had already been dancing with Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles ‘Love’ tour when he heard about plans fpr the ‘Immortal’ show.
“Growing up with five kids, we are all dancers,” McKinley recalled in a telephone interview. “So Michael Jackson was always on the radio. When they (Cirque du Soleil) announced they were going to do a show based on his music, I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted to be part of this.”
McKinlay said his dream was always to become a Michael Jackson dancer.
“He was so groundbreaking,” Mckinlay said. “Every dancer that ever worked with him, they are such icons. So this is as close as I’ll be able to get to be a Michael Jackson dancer. I wanted to be a Smooth Criminal dancer, to be in the suit and do the lean.”
Source: theadvertiser / Kris Wartelle, Louisiana / MJ-Upbeat.com
Recent Comments