CNN iReport

Michael Jackson's last work, This Is It, was a testament to what a wonderful performer and caring person he was, and reminded me all over again how truly saddened I am that he has left this world.


As a kid born in 1981, I was raised on Michael's music. My earliest memory of music, in general, is my sister getting the Thriller LP- and listening to it in our family apartment in Ohio. I remember loving the tigers on the inside of the album jacket and just being in awe of the music on there. Thriller itself scared me, but come on. I was well under 4 years old at the time. Growing up as a dancer, you have a profound respect for artists who not only sing, but dance. I can remember emulating Michael's moves from Thriller, Billie Jean, and Smooth Criminal- no doubt driving my parents crazy. Imagine my glee when he sang the line "Annie are you okay, are you okay Annie" in Smooth Criminal, and being beside myself that "that's my name!" Everyone was in awe when he did the crazy lean thing in the video- you know what I'm talking about. Even in college, we did a dance routine for Thriller- most of the moves I can still keep down pat. To this day when I hear many of his songs, I see him dancing in my head, and try to just keep up.


This Is It was like nothing I've ever seen on screen before. I have a very deep understanding of how theatre rehearsals work, and that's exactly what the movie is. You get to see a side to Michael that very few people did- and that I can understand completely. You get to see not just what a hard worker he is and how devoted he is to his craft, but how genuinely kind-hearted he is. He had just an undying love and profound respect for his band and dancers, it really was like watching the Patriarch of a family preside over his brood. You definitely get to see how serious he took his work. In one section, they're working on "The Way You Make Me Feel" I believe and he's instructing the musical director on how to slow down, how to take his cues. "You have to let it simmer. You have to let it growl. Just do it how I wrote it."

The dancing... the dancing was phenomenal. You actually get to see a bit of the audition process and Michael is there the whole time, hand picking his performers. By watching it, you can see how talented these people are- but when you're actually a dancer, there's another level. The amount of muscle control these people have, their absolute skill.. they're dancing with their entire heart and soul. And Michael, Michael never lost it. He's always had it. Even at 50, he could still break off a piece and serve you with it, it was absolutely ridiculous how incredibly talented he really was.

This Is It, as far as I'm concerned, was meant to be the greatest, most spectacular show ever put together. It was meant to be perfect- and it would have been. The amount of time, skill, and absolute love that was put into this show is astounding. It is an absolute shame it could never be in it's true form. Maybe not on Earth anyway. Michael Jackson, the world lost a brilliant performer, a talented dancer, and a wonderful person. Seeing this movie reminded me of this. You get to see him without the crazy media. Without the masks. He's just Michael. And he is to be seen. Whether you're a fan, a music lover, a theatre enthusiast, you MUST see This Is It. You owe it to yourself. It is the perfect final chapter.