MJ TinkerBell
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Eddie Garcia's Dance-Filled Encounters with Michael Jackson - Part I
"Michael was so respectful of us and I will always be respectful of him.
He was kind, wonderful and I have nothing but positive memories of him. That guy was awesome"
– Eddie Garcia
DAYTON, Ohio – Choreographer and dancer Eddie Garcia said he grew up in a family who loved dancing, and according to him, one of his dreams was to work with Michael Jackson. Casted by Vincent Patterson at the age of 17 as a background dancer in Jackson's short film, "Smooth Criminal," Garcia's dream came true, and according to him, the role was "awesome."
"I remember being on the set and we were rehearsing and something happened," he said. "The actions of everyone in the room changed when Michael walked in, and you could just feel his presence because the whole room changed." Garcia said his first memory of meeting Jackson was during a moment when they were standing by the door in the short film. He said Jackson acknowledged his previous work with Janet Jackson and complimented him on his dancing abilities. "For Michael to have that awareness that I worked with Janet is cool for me," Garcia said.
One of the first lessons Garcia said he learned from Jackson when it came to creativity and professionalism was that every detail mattered. Garcia said he learned this lesson firsthand on the set of "Smooth Criminal." "There was a care and time that went into making everything correct," Garcia said. "A lot of times today due to budgets, people rush things. But with ‘Smooth Criminal,' I could feel every person's presence in that film." To be more specific, he said he specifically remembers Jackson asking him a "creative question," that mattered to the final outtake of "Smooth Criminal." "When he does his chest pop when the music starts, he asked me, ‘Can you feel the music?,'" Garcia said. "I said, ‘Uh, yeah.,' but didn't physically feel the music. He said, ‘No, can you feel it?' He then got four or five monitors lined up and then you could physically feel the music. He wanted us all to truly feel it."
According to Garcia, "Smooth Criminal" was inspired by Fred Astaire's musical, "Bandwagon." He said the set was designed in dedication to the musical and said Jackson and Patterson wanted everyone to represent a piece of "Bandwagon." "We had a little television with a VHS player on the set that would play ‘Bandwagon,' and Michael and Vince would say, ‘Watch this guy and do this,'" Garcia said. "They both kept telling all of us, ‘You have to feel every moment. You can't have one moment that's not real.'" Garcia said he related well to Patterson's and Jackson's philosophies because both were goal-driven toward reaching perfection.
In addition to dancing in "Smooth Criminal," Garcia played another role in "Moonwalker," as the rabbit in the "Speed Demon" segment. "Michael was the rabbit, but they wanted the rabbit to move a little differently than him, so they used me to freestyle dance," he said. "They took bits and pieces of Michael and bits of me, and mish-moshed us together." Garcia saidJacksonadored claymation and was inspired by television shows like "The California Raisins." He said Jackson wanted to display that same kind of creativity in "Moonwalker."
Though Garcia said dancing in "Smooth Criminal," stands out to him, his resume of work with Jackson expanded over the years, leading to tours and a variety of performances. While on the set of "Smooth Criminal," Garcia said Jackson asked him if he would be interested in going on tour with him. "Three months later, I got a call, asking me if I wanted to be a dancer for the BAD tour," he said. According to him, dancing along side Jackson was a dream fulfilled during the filming of "Smooth Criminal," but Garcia said dancing live on stage with him is an experience he will never forget.
Looking back on his memories of dancing in "Smooth Criminal," and becoming a background dancer for Jackson's following tours, Garcia said he was grateful for Jackson's generosity and for believing in his abilities. "He was kind, wonderful and I have nothing but positive memories of him. That guy was awesome."
The Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-a...ters-with-michael-jackson-part-i-6117182.html
ray: I searched but did not find this Story, if this is Posted somewhere here I am sure the Mods will move it to the proper place :bow: