It’s become a habit of Travis Payne, APS alumnus and famed former choreographer to the late Michael Jackson, to return to not only Atlanta but his educational roots. But the timing on this occasion could not have been more bittersweet. Payne took time out to visit two elementary schools today as he continued to celebrate the commemorative film This Is It, which he co-produced and in which he is featured as Jackson’s long-time choreographer. The movie comes quickly on the heels of Jackson’s untimely death a few months ago as he was preparing for a series of London concerts. The film’s footage comes from that preparation.
But Payne’s Atlanta visit to F.L. Stanton Elementary School on Friday was a positive one, as he introduced some video segments of himself promoting the film on the Ellen DeGeneres show and on local Atlanta TV in front of a packed Stanton auditorium. (This marks the second visit to Stanton in three years for Payne, whose cousin, Arthurline Taylor, is Stanton’s instructional specialist.) Payne is a proud graduate of then Northside High (now North Atlanta) who studied under the tutelage of musical theater instructor William Densmore and dance instructor Gary Harrison. (Both has since passed away.)