(Conclusion)

In Sunday?s column, we started this e-mail interview with Charles ?Chucky? Klapow, a Fil-Am choreographer who made it as one of Michael Jackson?s 12 backup dancers for the ill-fated ?This Is It? concert tour. This is part 2 of the exclusive exchange, in which Chucky recounts Michael?s last rehearsal days.

Did Michael know you were a choreographer, too?

Kenny (Ortega, director of the concert and the documentary) told me that during the audition, he didn?t tell Michael who I was or what I have accomplished as a choreographer. Whether or not Michael was informed later, I was strictly a dancer on ?This Is It.? I was a soldier, in a way, and I accepted the job, making sure I wouldn?t overstep anyone.

As a dancer-choreographer, what did you learn from Michael, who was a consummate entertainer?

Watching and working with Michael during the rehearsals, I observed more than I consciously [studied]. I think I have learned it all from him throughout all my years as his fan, so that, by the time I got the chance to dance for him, there wasn?t that much more to grab from him. But I was in awe of his attention to detail and his constant striving for perfection.

What do you remember most about Michael during your last rehearsal with him?

When you see us on stage with him in our full masks and ?Thriller? costumes, you?re looking at his final night alive. He passed away less than 12 hours later. It?s very hard to think about that because he was very inspired and excited by doing ?Thriller? with the lights, costumes, smoke effect and set pieces. He was so lively when we left him at Staples Center that night.

Where were you when you heard the sad news? What were the first thoughts that came to your mind?

We were at Staples Center, rehearsing his show on his stage, when we heard the tragic news. I can?t remember what came to my mind. I was disgusted, angry, confused and lost when I found out. Tears all around.

When did it sink in that Michael was really gone?

It still hasn?t really sunk in. I don?t know when it will.

The grief and mourning throughout the world over Michael?s passing was unprecedented.

I felt all of it. I couldn?t sleep for about a month and a half after he died. I?d wake up five or six times, and have Michael-related dreams every night. Not a single night went by without me dreaming about Michael, or rehearsals, or the dancers, or Neverland. I was very shocked by my reaction. I?m glad it has finally stopped.

What was the most touching expression of grief and mourning that you saw or heard?

This will sound weird, but I thought the most touching was that, as soon as Michael died, the media finally had nice things to say about this tragic genius, who had spent most of his life dealing with ridicule and [hasty] allegations from these same reporters.

It must have been a poignant experience for you to perform ?Will You Be There? with Jennifer Hudson and the 11 other dancers at the memorial service for Michael, especially since, just days before, you were rehearsing that same number with Michael in that same place.

It was pure nightmare. We were supposed to be celebrating his life during that memorial but to me it was just a nightmare that no one was about to wake up from. Toward the end of the performance, we had to stand there and listen to Michael?s voice and bow our heads. I held my tears in as long as I could, trying to be strong and positive for his friends and family. But as we exited the stage I actually had to run off because the tears just started pouring out.

Did you attend the burial?

I did attend the burial. All of his dancers served as ushers. We all walked up to his casket inside the mausoleum and had our own final moments with Michael.

How do you think the show in England would have been, if such a tragedy did not come to pass?

It would?ve been his best concert ever. I?m a huge fan and I?ve memorized footage of all of his tours inside and out. I really believed we would?ve taken our show to other corners of the world. And when the timing was right, I was going to suggest that we go to the Philippines and call it the ?Thrilla in Manila 2010?!

What can you share about Michael that most of us do not know?

I think ?This Is It? (the documentary) will reveal a lot about what Michael was really like. You?ll get to see the Michael Jackson with the low voice! The man people don?t ever hear about. Michael was nothing like the tabloids made him out to be. His nose wasn?t falling off, his skin disorder was very real and evident on his arms?[I saw it] every time he changed his shirt. He wasn?t deathly thin. And he wasn?t too old to do the tour.

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.