Beijing dates of MJ IMMORTAL tour announced
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 7, 2013
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Dancers perform a preview for Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour" at a press conference held in Beijing, June 5, 2013. [China.org.cn] |
Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour" will come to Beijing in early August, a promoter announced at a press conference held in Beijing on Wednesday.
The tour's choreographers, Rich and Tone Talauega, publicist Laura Silverman and three dancers, attended the press conference after they were trapped for a whole night in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, when a thunderstorm kept their plane from landing in Beijing. But the dancers didn't seem to be affected at all, and offered a terrific and energetic preview of the show.,
Silverman said they have been preparing for a year and half, and won the support and approval of the Estate of Michael Jackson, Jackson family, and other high profile entertainers. Several choreographers and musicians, who collaborated and personally knew Michael Jackson, such as Travis Payne, Greg Phillinganes and the director Jamie King, gathered to produce this spectacular show.
"Jackson saw Cirque's performances a lot when he was alive and he loved our shows," Laura Silverman said. "I believe Michael would have loved 'The IMMORTAL Tour'."
Rich and Tone Talauega said they felt grateful toward Michael Jackson.
"Without him, we will not be here," said the Talauegas, who had been chosen to dance with Jackson when they were teenagers. They now choreograph for Madonna, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera and many other artists.
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Choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega speak at a press conference for Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour" in Beijing, June 5, 2013. [China.org.cn] |
"We put our whole heart in the production of ‘IMMORTAL'," added the brothers. "It's like a circle, our starting point was Michael Jackson and we are now coming back to him. It's amazing."
The performances in Beijing are part of the last dates announced. Tickets in Shanghai and Hong Kong have been going on sale for about a month. But Beijing is the first stop of the Chinese tour after the performances in Japan and South Korea.
The six Beijing performances are the first of a series to be held in three cities in China in August. The tickets for the shows in Shanghai (August 15-18) and Hong Kong (August 23-25) are already selling at an exceptional rate.
"The IMMORTAL World Tour", which has grossed about US$300 million in the world since 2011, will be held on the stage of Beijing Mastercard Center from August 8 to August 11, AEG China said. The venue was once used for the 2008 Beijing Olympics' basketball matches.
With a riveting fusion of visuals, dance, music, acrobatics and fantasy that immerses the audiences, "Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour" is set to unfold its artistry before the eyes of the audience.
Throughout his career, Michael Jackson enjoyed a special relationship with Chinese people. He was one of the first western musicians to be embraced by the Chinese public when the country was first reopened in the early 1980s.
Even though Jackson was able to go to Guangdong Province, located near Hong Kong, in 1987, with a tourist visa, he never had the chance to perform in Chinese mainland. According to various reports, he was trying to obtain the Chinese government's permission to perform in 1993 and at the 2008 Summer Olympics. .
Cirque du Soleil also has another Michael Jackson show in Las Vegas, "Michael Jackson ONE", which will officially begin at the end of June and which currently has preview shows.
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 after a propofol overdose, a drug prescribed by his doctor. The Jackson family is suing the entertainment giant AEG Live for wrongful death. AEG Live had supposedly hired Jackson's doctor without carefully checking his professional background. The company was supposed to promote Jackson's "This Is It" concerts in 2009.
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