We may have lost the King of Pop, but there is still much money and entertainment to be had from the brand that is Michael Jackson.
This week, BBC3 is running a reality show/talent quest thing called Move Like Michael Jackson. And, do you know what? It’s actually quite good. Last night was the open auditions round, which took place in shopping centres around Britain. There were the inevitable Jacko impersonators with the rhinestone gloves and acres of visible white sock (one of whom only started to dance well after his wig had fallen off), a few attention-seekers who wanted their few minutes of strutting on a stage – and some incredibly talented individual and group dancers. As my other half remarked, “Diversity don’t look so clever now, do they?”
The idea isn’t to dance like Michael, it’s to dance with the “spirit” of Michael – not in a Derek Acorah way, but to feel inspired by the music and interpret it in a way the King of Pop would approve of. How do we know what the K of P would have enjoyed? Well, the two judges were Lavelle Smith Jr, who worked extensively with Michael as a choreographer, and Mark Summers, who was the man in charge of casting dancers for Jackson’s This Is It tour, so presumably they should know. And in the next round, Michael’s brother Jermaine will be there to cast a brotherly eye over the auditionees.
The format borrows most of its elements from The X Factor and so on, with linking pieces by DJ Reggie Yates. There are a few “human interest” stories from the contestants, but this isn’t laid on too thick. Mostly the dancing does the talking, and it’s astonishingly good – creative, clever, funny, brave.
The next stage is on BBC3 tonight, and it all culminates in a live final on Sunday, with the winner gaining a place in next year’s Michael Jackson tribute concert.
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