- Title: FRANCE: Street moonwalk organised in Paris to honour Michael Jackson
- Date: 28th June 2009
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 27, 2009) (REUTERS) PARTICIPANTS MOONWALKING, VIEWED FROM ROOFTOP ABOVE STREET FEET OF WOMAN DANCING IN THE STREET PEOPLE DANCING IN THE STREET TO MICHAEL JACKSON MUSIC PARTICIPANT WITH POSTER "MOONWALK NOW" LOCAL RESIDENTS IN THEIR WINDOW OVERLOOKING STREET PARTY PARTICIPANT DANCING WITH POSTER "MOONWALK NOW" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL BERNIER, MOONWALK ORGANISER AND FOUNDER OF CHAINSAW AGENCY, SAYING: "We learned that Michael had died at 2:00 a.m. Paris time and, in the morning, I arrived at the agency and said 'guys, we must do something for Michael.' And this amazing idea of a moonwalk on the street emerged, and so we decided to do this moonwalk in the street. And we buzzed on Facebook and Twitter and today, as you can see, there is an all-Michael generation here, with all colours and everything." TRAFFIC JAM FILMED FROM ROOFTOP ABOVE STREET CITY BUS PASSING SLOWLY THROUGH CHEERING PARTICIPANTS 10 VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS VIEWED FROM ROOFTOP ABOVE STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) VINCENT, LOCAL RESIDENT, SAYING: "I think that everybody really loves his music. You can see it. There are many different kinds of people here. Even the cars and buses that passed through, they were all happy to mark his passing. It sounds strange to say, but it really allows everyone to rediscover his music. It is a moment of pure joy." PARTICIPANTS DANCING IN THE STREET PARTICIPANTS CHEERING LOCAL RESIDENTS WATCHING STREET PARTY FROM THEIR BALCONIES, PAN TO PEOPLE DANCING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOLAWDI, SOUTH AFRICAN DJ, SAYING: "When I was young I used to want to be like Michael Jackson. I remember taking a picture where I was dressed all in white, sitting on a lawn. He has been very inspiring in terms of music, and culturally, breaking so many boundaries. So it did not matter where you came from or what you liked. He went into so many different genres, just mixing it all up." VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS DANCING IN THE STREET
- Embargoed: 13th July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Obituaries
- Reuters ID: LVAC1JCVNQOKF4FVK2C3P4UD3KIJ
- Story Text: Hundreds of Michael Jackson fans gathered for a farewell moonwalk to honour the departed pop star in Paris on Saturday (June 27).
Young and old rubbed shoulders under a blazing sun, gyrating to the pounding beats of Michael Jackson hits.
The "Moonwalk" party was hatched by a Paris communications agency on Friday, the day after the announcement of Jackson's death.
"We learned that Michael had died at 2:00 a.m. Paris time and, in the morning, I arrived at the agency and said 'guys, we must do something for Michael.' And this amazing idea of a moonwalk on the street emerged, and so we decided to do this moonwalk in the street. And we buzzed on Facebook and Twitter and today, as you can see, there is an all-Michael generation here, with all colours and everything," said Michael Bernier, founder of the Chainsaw agency in Paris.
The dancers blocked the rue Oberkampf in a hip Paris neighbourhood, though cars and city buses were still able to sqeeze through and even share the moment.
"I think that everybody really loves his music. You can see it. There are many different kinds of people here. Even the cars and buses that passed through, they were all happy to mark his passing. It sounds strange to say, but it really allows everyone to rediscover his music. It is a moment of pure joy," said Vincent, a local resident.
Jackson, the former child-star turned pop icon, was pronounced dead on Thursday (June 25) after arriving at a Los Angeles hospital in full cardiac arrest. The cause of his death remains unclear after an autopsy done on Friday (June 26).
"When I was young I used to want to be like Michael Jackson. I remember taking a picture where I was dressed all in white, sitting on a lawn. He has been very inspiring in terms of music, and culturally, breaking so many boundaries. So it did not matter where you came from or what you liked. He went into so many different genres, just mixing it all up," said Molawdi, a South African DJ working in Paris.
Another moonwalk event is to be held in front of the Eiffel Tower on Sunday (June 28) afternoon. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
