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Tribute to Michael Jackson
Last month I posted my old Michael Jackson dances from 11 years ago on Youtube to a great response, so I decided to dedicate July's newsletter to MJ. My favorite was a solo jazz routine to "Smooth Criminal" - Check it out! |
On June 25 I was visiting my parents in Minnesota, coming to the end of a very long week of belated spring-cleaning. Our celebratory mood rapidly disintegrated when we heard news on the radio of Michael Jackson's cardiac arrest and subsequent death. Distraught, I knew nothing else to do but unearth my VHS tapes of "Moonwalker" and his music videos that I treasured when I was younger. It was while watching them back that I truly discovered how Michael influenced my upcoming feature Dirty Step Upstage in many ways… |
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DANCE:
Deep down, underneath everything I do, I am a dancer. No matter what story I am telling, whether in front of the camera or behind, I am always aware of the way movement plays a part. Watching Video Greatest Hits: HIStory for the first time in a decade reminded me how it was essential in MJ’s world to always include dance to enhance his story. With Dirty Step Upstage, my movie seemed incomplete without a very important part of who I am: Dance. So, I created a music video finale in which to complete my story through dramatic choreography. Dirty Step Upstage photography by Jayne Lloyd |
MUSIC:
- When I was in elementary school I remember re-writing the lyrics of “The Way You Make Me Feel” to a satirical (if misogynistic) “The Way You Cook My Meal” for a English assignment and performing it in front of the class. - Throughout high school I danced to no less than six of his songs (not including the MJ MegaMix). Dirty Step Upstage photography by Jayne Lloyd |
I grew up dancing and singing to the King of Pop, who seamlessly wove thrilling stories into his lyrics - hiding the darkness of his dangerous tales in his contagious beats. For Dirty Step Upstage I sifted through hundreds of independent compositions and chose the very best to enhance my story about a singer doing what she can to make it in the dark and dangerous world of music and entertainment. In addition, I wrote and recorded several original tracks that portray her brooding vengeance through hard-hitting electro/industrial/pop. When we completed the title track, my producer was proud of its sound: "Nine Inch Nails meets Michael Jackson.” It only makes sense that my music would be born from one of my strongest childhood influences. |
Dirty Step Upstage promo photography by Doralba Picerno SHORT FILMS:
Michael Jackson supposedly referred to his music videos as “short films.” He left behind so many iconic examples proving his filmic aesthetic, and inspired other artists to aspire to his theatrical greatness. The music video in my film is broken into segments, and while it concludes the film, these musical moments appears at significant points in the movie, making the Dirty Step Upstage something of a cross between a Rockumentary thriller and a Bollywood musical. While "Moonwalker" was not a cinematic masterpiece, it was amazing to see how I had subconsciously adapted elements that worked. In "Moonwalker" Michael uses his real name and personality to create a strange blend of fact and fiction, as do I. He utilizes his popular songs to find a way to continue the story, even it if only an excuse for a stylish musical interlude (i.e. “Smooth Criminal”). As my audiences will find, the title track of Dirty Step Upstage gave me the opportunity to tell the character’s back-story in song and dance, with a thrilling sense of style and sophistication. It’s taken a short lifetime of influences to create the strange brew that is “DSU,” but Michael will always hold a huge stake on its subconscious creative inspiration. RIP MJ. |
'Why is dance so central to your life and your film? Since I was four, I have been dancing. Wherever my family moved, I would take the staples: ballet, tap, jazz. In my last few years of high school I got much more serious about it, and I think I had something like 26 different dances in my senior year. I always thought I would got to school for something ‘reasonable,’ but when the time came to choose my path I couldn’t let go of dance. I studied various disciplines in Australia and Europe, which is where I branched out into another path: acting. Acting eventually led to producing, writing, and directing. I left dance for the three years of building my production company ALM Talkies. Last year, when I was watching the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance, I was sucked back into my passion for dance and began taking ballet, jazz, and contemporary again. I felt complete. If my life were a movie, Dance would be my character’s back-story, motivation, and inspiration. Have a question for Amber? Send it in to info@almtalkies.com. |
OZ MORAG Oz is the choreographer of the haunting dance piece in Dirty Step Upstage and a dear friend from London. We trained together at London Studio Centre where he first choreographed me in “Roxie” from the musical Chicago. He now is very successful in Israel, where he directed and choreographed A Chorus Line, Cats, and many other productions. He also is the head choreographer for Israel’s So You Think You Can Dance. Check him out on facebook or browse his website (a little tricky to read, unless you know Hebrew!) |
Copyright 2009 ALM Talkies LTD. All rights reserved.
- “Thriller” was one of the first cassettes I ever owned.