Also involved are younger choreographers who rose to prominence translating Jackson's style for a new generation. Todd Sams, who has worked with Usher, is collaborating on the show, according to a representative, and Rich & Tone Talauega, a duo who have choreographed Chris Brown's moves, were present for auditions last month.
The two-day casting call drew 700 dancers to downtown Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. "They were from the elite agencies across the world -- London, France, New York," said Australian dancer Nandy McClean, who was not chosen. "There were hip-hop dancers and jazz dancers. You could tell a lot of them were crazy Michael Jackson fans who grew up watching him."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, May 14, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Michael Jackson: An article in Tuesday's Calendar about Michael Jackson's upcoming London concerts said choreographer Todd Sams was collaborating on the shows. The promoter of the shows, AEG Live, says Sams has no role in the concerts.
In the end, eight men and two women were selected. Jackson attended the second day of tryouts -- one agency head compared the experience to basketball players auditioning for Michael Jordan.
"Dancing for an artist who is so amazing and who everyone looks up to was the best feeling of my life," said Atlanta dancer Victor Carter, who did not make the cut. "He perfected the profession."
Jackson is taking a hands-on role in coming up with routines, according to Ortega and Phillips. The singer is developing a move that he hopes will be as distinctive as the moonwalk, Phillips said. "He's working on it," he said, refusing to say more: "I'm sworn to secrecy."
When the public last got an extended look at Jackson -- during his 2005 molestation trial -- he appeared in no condition for a grueling concert schedule. He was hospitalized during the proceeding, his clothes hung on his gaunt frame and at times he seemed to have difficulty walking. He later acknowledged an addiction to painkillers.
But AEG's Phillips said Jackson had "filled out" by last November, when discussions about the London concerts began. He said a four-hour physical with an independent physician this spring found no medical problems. In preparation for the shows, Jackson is doing aerobics with a personal trainer and has had no difficulty keeping up with dancers half his age during rehearsals in Burbank, Phillips said.
Those practice sessions occur in secrecy, thanks to security patrols and confidentiality agreements. There have been rumors, especially in the British media, that the production will include a duet with Jackson's eldest son, Prince Michael, a stage filled with Jackson look-alikes, and a cast of monkeys and elephants.
