TV Moves! 2 Live, was an event hosted by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences celebrating dance and choreography featured on television.  The evening was a combination (no pun intended) of a panel discussion with notable choreographers, plus dance performances from current television show dancers as well as local dance company members.

Panelists included: Debbie Allen, Mark Ballas, Steve Binder, Cheryl Burke, Tony Charmoli, Dante Di Loreto, Tyce Diorio, RJ Durell, Mitzi Gaynor, Robert Iscove, Nigel Lythgoe, Joe Malone, Barry Rosenbush, Howard Schwartz, Shane Sparks, Fred Tallaksen, Zach Woodlee with panel moderator Daniel Ezralow.

Whenever I attend any event featuring dancers and choreographers, I always feel fortunate to reconnect with performers that I worked with at the very start of my career.  Although I no longer work as a professional dancer, keeping movement and being physically connected to performing remains a part of my soul.  Joe Malone was one of the panelists at this event that was dance teacher/ choreographer whom I studied with in the early 1990’s, whenever I could fit in a class between auditioning or being on tour.  What I remember the most about his style and technique was his wonderful ability to explain the accents in a piece of music and how important those accents can be when a dancer is learning choreography.  Joey has always been kind to performers that are “actors who can dance” and taught me a lot of valuable lessons on how to be a better dancer, by helping me to understand how to breakdown a routine enough to concentrate on the details that would matter ~ a skill that helped me book quite a few dance jobs at that time.  It was great to see that he’s still very active in the dance community and still working in television as a choreographer.

During the evening, we were treated to dance performances from: FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, Choreographer Mandy Moore, Amrapali Ambegaokar - Solo Silver Medal NBC’s Superstars of Dance, Choreographer Kristin Denehy, HBO’s “Entourage”, The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, EDGE Performing Arts Scholarship Students and a special performance by the Groovaloos, Grand Champions of NBC’s SuperStars of Dance.  All of the dance performances were unique and entertaining, each one incorporating different styles of music and dance, so it would be challenging to choose one as a favorite. For a more in depth article about the event, please see the article on the TV Academy website.

Tags: ATAS / TV Academy Events, Choreographers, Dance

Today, Tera Hendrickson and I attended Michael Jackson’s Memorial Service at the Staples Center.  I’m mildly addicted to taking unlikely opportunities on the off chance that they become rewarding experiences, so I had entered the drawing for free tickets on a whim when the lottery for the event was announced, without any further thought about it.  At first, when I found out I had been selected to get a pair of tickets, I had mixed feelings about winning and attending because of the media focus and strong opinions about the event.  There was also a part of me that had never expected to attend a public memorial for someone whom I’ve never actually met. (Although, I do know people who worked with Mr. Jackson and had nice things to say about him when they did).  After Tera and I talked about how historical the memorial was going to be worldwide, and given the odds of how special it was to get awarded tickets, it was clear what a privilege it was to be able to attend and experience the event in person.

The stories told by Mr. Jackson’s friends and family were thoughtful, insightful and deeply moving.  Our seats were stage left in the lower level section, so we had a similar vantage point to those performers waiting offstage, making us close enough to appreciate the nuances of each tribute and performance.  Each person who spoke about their relationship with Michael Jackson or performed to honor him, became a reminder of the overall message and tone of the tribute ~ how one person can have an effect on so many people on so many different levels.  There are so many talented people and performers in the world, but so few who become as publicly recognized for their accomplishments.  Over the course of his career, Mr. Jackson’s philanthropic and artistic contributions to our society were diverse and indisputably far-reaching.

There had been so much speculation of what would happen during the event that I had expected some form of chaos, either from fans or the media.  To my surprise, what transpired was a very dignified and respectful service honoring Mr. Jackson, kindly acknowledging the deep sense of loss that his children, his family and his friends are experiencing.  Each attendee was provided with a commemorative program free of charge and no merchandise was for sale inside the Staples Center.  And although the media was clearly present to cover the event, they never appeared to be intrusive.  Kudos to all the public employees, especially those working in law enforcement, who were pleasant to the public and helped make getting to and from this event so seamless.

Upon reflection, this event was an enlightening experience. Hopefully, the worldwide broadcast had a similar effect on the audience with a message of love, kindness and appreciation.  I am still a bit mystified by how the general public held Michael Jackson so accountable for his actions and choices during his life, especially considering that there are countless celebrities who are not being held to some of those moral standards.  Given his continuous commitment to the entertainment industry and to making a positive difference in society, it’s so much easier to take an honest look at what he brought to the world and to have compassion for the pressures he must have faced by attaining superstar status at a very young age and maintaining that for so many years.  I can’t imagine what it must have been like to know him personally or what it would feel like to have that level of fame.  But, I certainly respect and admire Mr. Jackson for the impact he had on so many people, bringing them joy and inspiration just by sharing his talents with the world.

Tags: Michael Jackson Public Memorial, Michael Jackson Tribute, Staples Center