In 2011, the Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour premiered in Montreal. Within months, it became the highest grossing tour in North America.
As of April 2014, the unique tour, chock-full of jaw-dropping visuals, dance, and music from the legendary Michael Jackson, is the ninth highest-grossing tour of all time and has been performed in more than 124 cities in 27 countries on four continents.
Recently, rolling out had the opportunity to catch up with one of the show’s dancers, Khalid Freeman, formerly of Stomp, who weighs in on the event.
Check out what he had to say below.
Tell us a little bit about your transition from Stomp to Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour with Cirque du Soleil.
Oh OK, you know my background. That’s what’s up! Well, the initial transition was quite back to back. Now, the physical transition was pretty demanding; for example, Sunday we had a show in Portugal and then Monday morning I was in Montreal, Canada training for Cirque du Soleil, so again, it was back to back.
But as far as how I got the job, I had auditioned ten years prior and they kept me on file. Some time later, they had me submit another submission and then when the opportunity arose they had me fly to Paris to audition. So I auditioned in Paris, but the callbacks were in Los Angeles, so I had to find out if I made the cut in L.A.
So, it was quite a runaround audition process. I figure it took about ten years to get to the right show. But it was well worth it!
Now I understand that you have had the opportunity to dance on several different platforms, including the MTV Awards, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and more. How was it working with Ellen?
It was great. Ellen is great. She’s [DeGeneres] funny, she’s a hard worker and she is really focused. When you see her on TV, she’s one person and when the cameras aren’t rolling, she’s behind the scenes, getting her hands dirty and controlling the show.
Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, you know, everyone that I’ve had the opportunity to work with, are pretty awesome people.
What can fans expect from the Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour?
Well, you can expect a bunch of new shows. It’s [MJ Tour] is a collaboration with Cirque acrobatics, a lot of fantastic aerials and contortionists. You can expect all the aspects of a live show. So you’ll have Michael Jackson’s music, and the pizzazz of Cirque du Soleil.
Combined together, it’s just a mixing pot of international artists, performers and musicians. It’s more than just a visual show. It’s an aerial show, a lighting show, an interactive show …
We’re coming at you live, so you can expect it to be really fun!
Can we expect any special throwbacks to the late and great Michael Jackson?
Absolutely! From “Smooth Criminal” to “Billie Jean” … you can expect all of MJ’s great music. We even implement styles from his iconic wardrobe from the hat to the glove. Cirque even created their very own bizarre but great and unique costumes to mesh with the show.
What would you say is the one aspect of the show that set’s it apart from any other Cirque Du Soleil event?
Well, that’s a good question. You know, no one has ever done a show like this. We’ve brought together the best from around the world to give you a real live tribute show to Michael Jackson.
But again, it’s more than a show; it’s a concert. We really want people to get on their feet, interact with us and get up and dance. So that’s the vibe you can expect from us as well as the cool aspect that Cirque brings to the table.
How does it feel to be a part of the #9 top grossing tour of all time?
It’s a dream come true. You don’t really look forward to or go out expecting to break a record but when you do you’re overwhelmed, you’re proud, you’re thankful but again, it’s nothing that you really try to reach. You just have to keep working hard, move forward and be humble about it.
To be in the top 10 is a great achievement obviously but you have to maintain, try to keep the momentum and the legacy alive and hope that people really have the opportunity to see Michael in his purest form. That’s the purpose of this tribute show.
What would you say to fans in order to persuade them, to come experience the Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour Cirque Du Soleil?
It’s a chance to see and feel Michael Jackson. If you’ve never seen the show before, it’s an opportunity to just to come out and enjoy some good music, enjoy a good night out with your friends and family, experience something you have never seen before!
For more information on the Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour, fun facts, media and photos, check out their official Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/mjimmortaltour
Twitter: twitter.com/cirque
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Instagram: web.stagram.com/n/cirquedusoleil/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/cirquedusoleil
Interview conducted by Ruthie Hawkins/@ruubabie
