Its an honor to be talking with you today since I am a huge fan of Cirque Du Soleil. I have been to four of them but not to the MJ Immortal Tour.

Well, then you’re in for a treat.

For those of us who has never heard of the Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL Tour, tell us about it.

This is your third involvement with CDS. You were part of The Beatles LOVE and the movie “Worlds Away” which I enjoyed. I’d like to know how did this CDS journey began.

I was reading the newspaper and there was this huge posting for open call auditions in Las Vegas for Cirque.

What has been the most rewarding experience you had since you been part of the tour?

For me, it was the first time I was on stage with the people on tour. At the end of “They Don’t Really Care About Us” was that moment for me.

Now I have to ask the obvious question, were you a fan of MJ before being part of the tour?

1000% Yes! You cannot be a dancer and not be a fan of MJ.

That leads me to my next question, what’s your favorite song?

You mean from the show or just in general?

Let’s do both!

My favorite Michael song is PYT (Pretty Young Thing). It’s something about the vibe of that song, its sassy and I don’t think I ever seen the video to it.

You’re right, I don’t think I ever seen the video of the song. I may have to go back to YouTube to see if one exist. For people, unlike me, who has NEVER experienced a Cirque Du Soleil in their lives; why should they come to one?

If they are a fan of Michael, they need to come to this show because it really pays tribute to him.

You co-founded the Dance Centre, can you tell us about it

In 2007, I opened DDC

If you can give advice to our upcoming dancers, what advice can you pass along?

Never stop, follow your dream. If its your passion, go at it whole-heartedly. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Train as much as you can. Always be a student. Don’t ever give up. You will get a 1,000 No’s before you hear that 1 Yes. And when you hear that Yes. It will stay with you forever.

This one final question will sum up everything we talked about. Complete this sentence “Dance is….

Self-expression because it’s the language of the soul. It’s the only language that doesn’t have a limit. No matter your age, your culture, your ethnicity, your dialect.

Don’t miss Melena as she dances her way into hearts when Cirque Du Soleil: Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL Tour hits Baltimore Arena (March 18-19, 2014) and Patriot Center in Fairfax (March 21-22). For more information and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/michael-jackson-tour/default.aspx 

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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