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Mj dance style8/8/2023 ![]() ![]() At the same time, he’s always someone who’s worth discussing in any capacity. Granted, bringing his name up is always asking for controversial conversation. From his singing to his dancing, and everything in between, he is someone I emulate on my journey towards being better in my crafts. What was your first Michael Jackson video? Was it Thriller in all of its 80s thrills and dated scares? Was it Bad in all of its 80s attitude and New York grit? Dare I say, Captain EO in its 80s sci-fi camp and feeble attempts at positive messages? No matter where any of us started in our journey of Michael Jackson videos, there’s no denying that the man, even in the afterlife, is the undisputed King of Pop (and that’s coming from a Prince fan).Īs I write this on what would’ve been his 60 th birthday, I couldn’t help myself from reflecting on how influential he is on me in terms of my performing. This didn’t keep him from incorporating urban dance, a fusion that eventually led him to where he is today.“Do you remember those special times? They’ll just go on and on in the back of my mind” Mitchell and Djana Bell when he was nine, focusing on modern dance styles. His formal dance training began with Norma B. Originally from Atlanta, Payne began dancing when he was four years old. Payne also received an arts and humanitarian award for Danza de la Unidad, a flash mob style music video filmed in the Dominican Republic. ![]() In 2012, he formed a group with Johnny’s Entertainment called Travis Japan that competed at the World Of Dance, the largest International Urban Dance Competition with focus on the art of street dancing. In 2010, he traveled to the Philippines and where he taught 1,500 prison inmates to dance “ The Drill ,” for a video that went viral on YouTube, with more than 42 million views and counting.Įxtending his talents toward the East, Payne has since done direction and choreography for Han Geng and Andy Lau. Payne’s talents are paired with philanthropy. He was also Lady Gaga’s director/choreographer on the Monster Ball Tour, as well as creating choreography for Mariah Carey, TLC, Madonna, Beyoncé, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, En Vogue, and Cirque du Soleil among others. Payne’s work as one of Michael Jackson’s closest collaborators is only one facet of his contributions to pop dance. Payne won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography for his choreography in the Scream music video, which featured Micheal Jackson’s duet with sister Janet Jackson in an unforgettable dance routine that combined ballet, street, hip hop, flexing, and modern dance styles. ![]() But eventually, his kinesthetic collaborations with the King of Pop came full circle. Michael Jackson hired Payne as a dancer first. Jackson discovered Payne when he was a dancer on his sister Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation World Tour. One of Payne’s proudest achievements was his original choreography in Micheal Jackson’s short film Ghosts, a visual extension to the megahit Thriller. ” He crafted and shared a special dance language with the King of Pop and considered him an artistic mentor. As Micheal Jackson’s choreographer and associate director of his final documentary This Is It, Payne solidified what pop culture critic Ronda Racha Penrice called “ a masterpiece. Part of Payne’s dedication to the craft is his unique street dance, ballet, and Michael Jackson- influenced choreography. Travis Payne is an Emmy-nominated choreographer, director, and producer who uses hip hop, ballet, modern, street dance and the latest emerging styles to keep one of the world’s greatest pop dance legacies alive. ![]()
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