Jackson choreographer dances with N.O. kids

NEW ORLEANS — Choreographer Travis Payne has created dance moves for some of the biggest names in entertainment — Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Usher, Lady Gaga and Madonna.

On Monday, Payne took his dance moves from the stage to the community as he guided New Orleans kids through a routine choreographed to Michael Jackson's 1980s hit "Smooth Criminal" at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Students clapped, cheered and gave each other high-fives as they took turns dancing with Payne.

He is one of about 10 choreographers behind the Cirque du Soleil show "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" that honors the late entertainer and is in performance at the New Orleans Arena on Wednesday and Thursday.

Senior dance major Dorothy Nunez moonwalked across the floor in a sparkly silver fedora as her peers took turns free-styling for Payne and showing off their best Jackson moves and some moves of their own. The 50 or so students who participated were majors of either musical theater or dance, including ballet, jazz and modern dance.

"This is surreal," said 17-year-old Morgan Ballard, a senior dance major at NOCCA, an arts training center that offers intensive instruction to high school-age students in such genres as dance, media arts, music, theater and writing. "I respect Michael Jackson so much as an artist, and I feel so close to him right now. I don't want it to end."

New Orleans is the first tour stop on the "Immortal" tour in which Payne took time to share some of Jackson's most famous dance moves with community children. The show launched last year in Canada, and its U.S. opening was in Las Vegas in December.

Payne is a twice Emmy-nominated choreographer, director and producer. His work encompasses some of the most influential visual and musical moments of contemporary pop culture, created for and performed by some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Payne co-choreographed and danced with both Michael Jackson and his younger sister Janet. He worked with Michael Jackson for more than 15 years, from the early 1990s until the pop star's death in 2009.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Payne said he was rehearsing with Jackson almost daily for the "This is It" tour at the time of Jackson's death. He said his death at age 50 "remains a shock" but working on the "Immortal" tour and taking time to share Jackson's legacy with younger generations feels good and helps with the healing process.