Cirque du Soleil which has hardly made a move out of step on stage, has had to quickstep to repair a faux pas when opening its “Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour” in Beijing.
The Canadian art troupe surprised its Beijing audience by flashing a photo referencing to the 1989 Tiananmen incident,during an act to Jackson’s track “They Don’t Care About Us”.
According to reports, the image was flashed on stage for some four seconds as part of a montage.
Although the image of the famous ‘tank man’ who tried to stop military tanks during the protest had been digitally manipulated to include Michael Jackson, the photo reportedly drew an audible gasp from the audience at the Wukesong MasterCard Arena in Beijing.
The original image taken by Associated Press, is banned in the country.
Cirque du Soleil is said to have since removed the photo from the presentation which was reportedly vetted by Chinese officials.
The “Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour” celebrates the musical legacy of the pop artist who died in 2009, through his music and dance that takes place in a fantastical realm.
The Cirque du Soleil show is slated to continue its run in Shanghai and Hong Kong, before touring Australia and South Africa.
{ SOURCE: Channel News Asia; http://goo.gl/0xTLuC }
