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MT: Let's talk about the choreographies of the
"re-Invention Tour". Did you put in something
you didn't have the chance to do before?
JK: The songs really tell you what the
choreography is. I was thinking of different ways to move
Madonna. So the conveyor belt in "Nobody Knows Me"
was a big deal. My idea with this stage was that everything
should be moving, all the time. Like you couldn't tell what
it was going to happen. One surprise after the other.
I mean the stage, technically, is coreographed. It is an
outrageous amount of choreography that that stage goes through
for the concert tour.
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So I wanted the stage to be choreographed as well as
Madonna to be choreographed and the screens to be choreographed
and the dancers to be choreographed. So that was just
an undertaking in itself. To have all that moving at the
same time. It was extremely dangerous. I mean, that stage
is a death trap!
But you know... hydraulics. If you fall, God forbid, they
don't stop, they keep going. So there was many safety
classes we had to go to for that.
It was all extremely and intrically choreographed so that
in itself was way different from the "Drowned World"
tour but each tour had its own specific choreography,
I mean nothing was the same and nothing was kind of re
used or even identifiable.
I don't think between the two tours there's nothing similar.
What I loved about the "Drowned World" tour
was the Asian/Geisha scene. It was my favoured sequence.
Madonna flying around on the wires was just one of my
favourite things to see her do cause she was having so
much fun and then she got to do Kung Fu and kick everybody's
ass. It was great.
MT: One of the coolest
new ideas of the "re-Invention Tour" stage was
the suspended catwalk. Has it been a part of your original
concept for the tour?
JK: That was not
the original idea. There was actually something else before
that. It was another kind of catwalk that went into the
audience. But what happened was... I knew that I wanted
Madonna out in the audience because that accessibility
for the fans is really important. You feel like everyone
is a part of the concert, and Madonna agrees with this
also. You want to get as close to the people as possible.
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MT:
Yes it was incredible
for the fans.
JK: It's really
important. So the original idea would have blocked too many
seats because it was built into the ground. So we had to
figure out another way for it to work. We were determined
to do something that hadn't been seen before so that's when
the production manager said: "Why don't we fly it?"
I said: "That
can be done?" and was: "I don't think so, so let's
try it".
We attempted it and it was not part of the original design.
The original design had something else there and this is
what replace it and it really made more sense.
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MT: Actually we were wondering how they were going
to put the catwalk down in Paris where the people was standing.
But it worked really well.
JK: I was there in Paris, so what we did
was to put barricades.
MT: Was the final choreography of the tour
ready when rehearsals started?
JK: When we get to rehearsals Madonna and
I think the same, we like everything to be really prepared
so that we can execute everything because she has a family,
she has a very tight schedule, so she comes in for this
many hours here and this many hours there and then go home,
make it to Kabbalah or whatever it's got to be, so in order
for that to happen I really have to make sure that everything
is pre-prepared.
So what I do is bringing in choreographers for a few weeks
prior to Madonna even getting there.
I start developing everything and get the idea and I play
Madonna so I can feel what it's going to be like.
Trying out the staging and all the choreographies so I can
get an idea of how to explain it to her. Where she's going
to be going and why she's going to be going there and what
it means. That happens for a few weeks prior to her even
arriving.
Now
mind you, I was still doing meetings with her and still
designing the stage and at night time meeting with different
choreographers and sending them on their way saying do this
and do that and then having them come back and show me something
and then me changing it like five, six times. Then Madonna
would finally come in once it was to its place, where I
thought that she could receive it.
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She would come in, look at it, make her changes, and
that number would be finished and then going to the next
number.
I had three rooms going. The Music room, for Madonna and
the band. The main choreography room and then I had another
sound stage where other choreography was being taught, like
swings and other specialities like fire were being taught
and other things like that.
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MT: Some songs in the setlist did change
quite late though. I'm referring to "I'm So Stupid".
JK: Yes, "I'm So Stupid" was
a big challenge.
The third song in the set list was a big challenge. It
ended up being "Frozen" but it was originally
"I'm So Stupid".
I Love that song. And fought and fought to have that song
in there and we all wanted it to be in there but it just
musically would not work out. Madonna is an artist and
she's got to feel the songs flowing together and for her
musically just couldn't work out.
And I'm very happy it ended up being "Frozen"
because it's a great song.
Actually it had gone from "Frozen"
to another song which was "Swim" from "Ray
of Light" and then it went back to "Stupid"
and then one day I was listening to "Frozen"
in my car and I said "You know Madonna I think it
should be Frozen" and it was put together and it
just worked perfectly.
And with the images that we had on the screen which were
originally cut to "Swim", they worked really
well for "Frozen".
MT: Oh, the Chris Cunningham footage?
JK: Exactly. It had to be recut but it ended
up with the same feeling. Actually it was better to "Frozen".
MT: Oh great. How would you describe
your relationship with the people you work with on the
tour. Dancers, Musicians, technicians. You have a great
responsability so you may have to be friendly and bossy
at the same time.
JK: I'm
really friendly. I'm really close with everybody on that
tour, it's like a family especially because a lot of us
did the first few projects together with Madonna and a
lot of the dancers are kind of recycled throughout the
years.
Of course we had a lot of new ones now, Madonna didn't
know them but I did know them from other jobs. It was
like a big family. And in any family there's lots of great
times and there's lot of tense times like "What are
you talking about?!?.. I said this!.." and me as
the director I have to keep it all together and I have
to keep everyone really positive.
That's what I spend most of my day doing, trying to keep
the energy in all three rooms, because there's so many
different kinds of mood, people come in bad mood, good
mood, and I have to keep everybody happy and focused on
one main goal which is to put this amazing show together
for Madonna.
MT:
And do you have a finest moment working
on the tour?
JK: I do love the fact that "Material
Girl" is in the show (laughs) because she said in
an interview years ago that she would never sing that
song again...
MT: Yup.
JK: I loved that I convinced her to that.
MT: ...and it worked really, really well.
JK: I loved that song so that made me
happy, but even more than that... a finest moment?
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You know when
you think about rehearsal it's really painful.
It's really an emotional time but you know what's exciting
about it? It's really the creative part, putting it all
together.
To see it with big props and we have to always imagine the
stage is going to rotate and image that there's screens
behind you. That part is really great because we're playing
imaginary and to see it all realized on stage later that's
the best reward.
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MT: Let's talk a bit more about one of
the songs of the show: "Don't Tell Me". During
the tour it got two different versions. The "French
Musette" one and then the "Bittersweet/Rolling
Stone" one.
Was an original idea to have these two version or was it
something that came along the way?
JK: That came along the way, and
that was mostly Stuart (Price), the Musical director. He
was really big on those moments, in defining "Don't
Tell Me".
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The French
idea was Madonna and mine, we were looking for another visual
that would work.
Obviously we didn't want to repeat or re-create country
again. She has this amazing French art book with these beautiful
photographs and that was her inspiration for that number.
MT: Oh cool. Ok so let's go straight to the point
(laughing). Do you think Madonna will tour again soon?
We have this feeling...
JK: I hope so (laughing)... I hope so.
Madonna still has a lot to offer as always and it will be
great to see her again and I think the fans will love it
right?
MT: During the "Drowned World"
and "re-Invention" tours were you following the
tour on the road from venue to venue?
JK: No.
I always go for the first few weeks basically when the tour
gets in motion I go for the first two weeks. And then I
have two assistants who stay on the road. One will stay
for Europe and the other one will go for United States.
MT: Did you often see Madonna on the road
in Europe this time?
JK: Absolutely, I come and go on the tour.
If she wants to change something or she's feeling bored
or if she just wants support or she feels that the show
needs fine tuning I come in.
Quite often I came to Europe.
MT: So are European fans different?
JK: Madonna fans in Europe in general are
crazy.
Crazy in a good way. They are really animated. I love the
energy of the European fans.
MT: So what can we expect from the tour
DVD?
When the "Drowned World Tour" DVD came out the
fans were expecting to find the full lenght "Paradise
(not or me)" video or the video projections as special
features. Is there a chance to have very special features
on the "re-Invention" DVD or not?
JK: I'll never tell, I
might know but I'll never tell (laughing).
MT: Aha you do your job perfectly Jamie.
JK: All I can say is that the fans will
be very pleased when the DVD does come out because they
will really get what they desire.
MT:
That's really good news, so it will be worth the wait.
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JK: Yes, well because it has to be right
and also the documentary has to come out and there are things
that have to be done first.
MT: Right, as a matter of fact everybody
is waiting for the DVD of the show and the documentary.
How was working and having the documentary crew around.
They were there from day one right?
JK: Yes they were there, mind you I had
to stay out of it mostly because I was so busy and preoccupied
and like I said I'm the guy who has to make everything work
so Madonna has really the responsability for that documentary.
I didn't noticed them because I was so preoccupied. I was
so busy that I didn't even notice the camera crew around
there.
I love the guy, it was Jonas (Akerlund). We worked with
Jonas before. We did "American Life" together.
He his just a great guy so him and his crew following us
around... you couldn't ask for better.
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MT:
How has working with Madonna changed you as person and as
an artist?
JK:
Well more so than anything I think it opened me up to being
confident and believe in my ideas and concepts, because
she has been so opening and so behind me in my beliefs and
concepts.
So for me that support has really kind of propelled me and
knowing that I am capable of doing these great things. Madonna
is great that way. Madonna, if she believes in you will
really push you to be a better person as she pushed herself
to be better and recreate all the time.
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So that itself is
just a wonderful thing to be around cause she's very inspiring.
But also she's extremely professional, so
that alone has really helped me and benificial my career
because the way she deals and handles business. I work that
way and people really appreciate it.
MT: Is there a Madonna performance you
worked on you are most proud of?
JK: I think the first one. "Human
Nature" was a moment that I don't know if I'm the most
proud of it, but it's the defining moment in the Madonna
and Jamie relationship.
To me that stands out in my head because it was the beginning.
I was allowed to free all my ideas, to let them flow and
she was the first person to really receive them.
For me that was a great moment and... oh you like "the
kiss"...
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I
think the kiss on the MTV Awards was a fun moment just for
what it was. For the kitsch factor and for pop value I appreciated
that.
MT: And what about a performance by another artist
you worked with?
JK: Proud moments? Well anytime I can get
an artist a standing ovation. Like Ricky Martin on the Grammies
or Shakira on the Latin Grammies.
Anytime when I can define pop culture or have a moment that
it's remembered like Jennifer Lopez in the "I'm glad"
video where she re creates "Flashdance".
Anything like that, where people sit up and talk about it.
Those are my kind of proudest moments.
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MT: Which one is more challenging to you, working
on a tv production, choreographing a video or directing
a tour?
JK: I
love directing tours. You have the live audience. Oh man
there's nothing like seeing the live audience happy.
MT: Do you regret not being on stage as
a dancer anymore?
JK: No, I really like what I do now. Actually
lately I've been having to dance a lot because of the "Nike
Rockstar Workout" I promoted. So I have to dance and
little shake my ass.
But I would never want to go back to dancing on tour or
dancing in music videos. It's not for me. I did that and
I've moved on. I love it but that was a different time in
my life. I really like telling people what to do.
MT: So you have a sort of different relationship
with the audience now.
JK: Oh yeah, I like to tell the story.
I like to tell the people what to do and I like to tell
the story.
MT: You were mentioning Nike before. Would you
like to tell us more about this project?
JK: First of all Nike is a huge billion dollar
company, everybody knows Nike worldwide.
I'm the spokesperson and the creative consultant for Nike
Woman and I have an endorsement deal with Nike for two years.
So what that allows me to do is create and develop a dance
line of clothing, shoes and apparel for them, which is amazing
for anybody who is a choregrapher or a dance person.
The
fact that I have that position is very coveted and wonderful
and I design workouts for Nike, it's called the "Nike
Rockstar Workout".
I'm able to do that and Madonna actually came to one of
my Nike showcases in New York City.
I did a big launch of the Nike Women and Rockstar thing
and Madonna came to rehearsals. (Laughing) She was so funny,
she goes: "What are you doing? How I come I'm not in
this? Having a concept without me". She was so funny
and cute.
Anyway it was really nice to have that support but the main
thing is that this Nike thing is a huge launch for dance,
for the dance community, spreading the idea of Dance as
a sport around the world.
MT: That's really cool.
Let me ask you another thing. Is there an artist out there
you didn't work with yet and would like to do so in the
future?
JK: I've worked with so many. I don't know...
maybe in my next life, you know, if you believe in past
life and next life.
I've worked with so many great artists. It would have to
be somebody who is not alive. The one that comes to mind
immediately when you say that is Gene Kelly.
Actually I'm a huge Gene Kelly fan so if I ever come back
reincarnated and have the chance to meet him in another
life that would be a blessing. |
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MT:
How does it feel to be Jaime King now? Did you change since
the beginning?
JM: I feel the same. I feel I'm just starting
out.
MT: Jamie, thank
you very, very much. It was a honour to have you here with
us and we wish you all the best for everything.
JM: You're welcome, thank
you. Ciao Ciao.
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Copyright
2005 MadonnaTribe
Jamie King photos by Kimopix.com: KPI permission granted
solely for use on madonnatribe.com
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