All of you MJ fans are in a for a little treat this week — “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World” by Cirque du Soleil will get underway at Verizon Arena tonight.
The tour, which is one of the top 10 grossing music tours of all time, will perform all of the hits of the late Michael Jackson with enough incredible acrobatics, special effects and dancing to spare Tuesday and Wednesday (April 22-23).
Here is what experienced dancer Shondra Leigh- one of eight female dancers– had to say about her dance experience, favorite Michael Jackson songs and all of the cool things you can expect to see at the show:
Q: What piqued your interest in dance, gymnastic and performance arts?
A: I’ve been dancing since I was a kid. My dad says I danced before I walked, so it was definitely my choice. My parents put me in dance class when I was a baby and they were always the kind of parents who were like if you don’t like something, you say it and we won’t make you do it– we were never forced to do anything. I was the kid who always asked, ‘Do I have dance class today?’ There just wasn’t enough dance classes. I was born for this. It’s what I’m meant to do.
Q: What will people be able to expect from “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” show?
A: It is so many things. The one thing about life is that you can’t expect anything but what you can expect is a good time. You’re going to expect a great performance and 49 artists on stage who really are passionate about what they do. It’s rock concert-based so you can expect 11 live musicians, in addition to acrobatics and dancing– very much a rock concert meets cirque du soleil. There will elaborate props, elaborate costumes, special effects and of course, Michael Jackson.
Q: I heard that you were trained in Anti-Gravity Yoga. Can you explain what that is exactly and if it’s something that is in the show?
A: It’s a yoga form that use a hammock. You’re anti-gravity, so you’re like three feet above the ground and it’s a combination of yoga and light acrobatics. It’s gymnastics, dance and yoga all wrapped into one. In this particular show, I do aerial stunts but don’t use a hammock– I use a hoop during the “Human Nature” number. It’s not the same apparatus, but there are things that cross over.
Q: What is your favorite song in the set?
A: My favorite scene is “Hotel” but actually my favorite song in the production is “Human Nature,” which I do perform but my favorite song to perform versus my favorite song that I hear every night are two totally different things.
Q: Who is the show geared for?
A: It’s something that is geared for his biggest fans and even for the people who weren’t huge fans because it’s really elaborate and there is so much to see. It’s got so many ‘wow’ factors and many special moments. It’s a journey of different paths of his life but we tap on everything– you hit everything from the Jackson 5 to his newer stuff before he had passed. You’ll see the classic choreography from his epic music videos like “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal,” so you’re going to get all of that as well as tidbits of other parts of his life that people probably don’t know about it.
Tickets range from $52.50-$152.50. Tickets are available at the Verizon Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online here.
Check out a preview of the show below!