Directed by Jamie King, the show featured a cast of 52 Latin artists the trio discovered during the making of their television series ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen, the biggest international TV hit of 2012
THE POPULAR INTERNATIONAL TV SERIES ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN WAS SEEN WEEKLY BY MORE THAN 30 MILLION VIEWERS ACROSS THE AMERICAS
(Los Angeles, May 27th 2012) – ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN LIVE presented by Blackberry, a spectacular celebration of Latin culture directed by legendary show director Jamie King (Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour; Madonna’s Superbowl Halftime Show), celebrated its dramatic crowning moment as it debuted to a SOLD OUT crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas this past Saturday. The show featured special performances by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony and showcased “The Chosen” artists that Lopez, Anthony and King discovered during the making of their international hit television series ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen, which was seen weekly by more than 30 million television viewers across 21 countries in the Americas.
The live show, presented by BlackBerry® and promoted by AEG Live, showcased the diverse music, dance, and cultural styles of the Americas, and marked the culmination of the dramatic journey that the trio took throughout Latin America to uncover the most amazing Latin artists.
According to King, “The concept for the live show was inspired by “The Chosen” themselves and the places they hail from — their stories, their countries, their regions, and their shared history.” The show was presented in five acts which center around 1) “The calling of The Chosen” which featured performances by Ashanty Gonzalez Peralta and Musica Maya, and an electrifying performance by Lopez of “Lambada & On The Floor” 2) “Family and Tradition” with performances by Paolo Ramirez, the sensational Bomba dancers and a high-flying acrobatic Quebradita number by Hermanos Castro; 3) “Love and Passion” which featured a special performance of “Aguanile” by Marc Anthony featuring sexy, sultry and high energy of mambo and tango numbers, featuring world champion tango artists German Cornejo & Gisela Galesassi, as well as a rendition of “No Me Ames” by Barbara Munoz and Ektor Rivera; 4) “Revolution and Pride” where in the entire cast performed to “Latino America,” Anthony performed “Migente,” featuring Malambo and Flamenco performers; 5) “Festival and Unity”, where the 52 member cast closesd with an energetic rendition of “Danza Kuduro.”
“The goal was to give the audience a taste of Latin culture by exploring the flavors of each country — from Argentina’s Tango and Malambo to Puerto Rico’s Bomba dancing and Brazil’s Capoeira,” added King. “It’s an unprecedented extravaganza of Latin heritage, raw talent and a mesh of cultures from a variety of countries set on a world class stage.”
Throughout the show, the wonders of Latin America were also prominently featured as iconic images and sounds culled from the Amazon, Chichen Itza, Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu, Patagonia, the Andes, the Atacama Desert, the Iguazu Falls, Christ Redeemer, and more.
Simon Fuller said: “The Q Viva spectacular live show is the perfect culmination of the TV series and celebrates our amazingly talented performers in the most powerful way.”
Created by executive producers Simon Fuller, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Jamie King, in collaboration with BlackBerry, ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen is a groundbreaking television series and live stage spectacle celebrating Latin culture, music and performance arts. The presentation of the live stage show is the culmination of a four-year effort to mount this historic bi-lingual television series & stage production.
During the course of the series, Lopez, Anthony and King traveled throughout Latin America and witnessed thousands of amazing singers, dancers, musicians, and performers that they auditioned through local grassroots efforts, YouTube (youtube.com/qviva), and Facebook (facebook.com/qvivathechosen) submissions. Ultimately, over the course of the series, the producing team narrowed down their choices to the 52 cast members who performed magnificently on one of the world’s great stages. Added Jamie King, “this has been an incredible journey. These remarkable artists have inspired all of us”.
For more information on ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen, please visit www.qvivathechosen.com
and www.blackberry.com/qviva.
Exclusive content is available on the ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen social media pages:
Youtube.com/qviva
Youtube.com/qvivathechosen
Facebook.com/qvivathechosen
Twitter.com/qviva
About Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment:
Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment was founded in 2010 with value of $100 million. The company, which employs a staff of fifty executives based in offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Nashville, is owned and run by Simon Fuller, a British entrepreneur whose career is marked by innovation and No.1 hits in TV, film, music, sport and fashion. He is certified by Billboard Magazine as the most successful British manager of all time and was recognised in 2010 by Apple for his achievement in selling over 180 million downloads on itunes. American Idol, the multi-billion dollar TV format created and executive produced by Simon Fuller, continues to break records for audience size and interaction. 122 million votes were cast in 2011’s American Idol Finale. XIX Entertainment manages Annie Lennox, The Spice Girls, Lisa Marie Presley, Carrie Underwood, Steven Tyler, Will Young, the winner of 2011’s American Idol, Scotty McCreery, and is in partnership with iconic couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony for their latest hit production Q’Viva! The Chosen which was watched by over 30 million viewers around the world. In sport, XIX Entertainment manages the career of David Beckham, world tennis No.3 Andy Murray and the 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Beyond music, TV and sport, XIX Entertainment’s interests in fashion include a joint venture with influential designer Roland Mouret, and a flourishing partnership with Victoria Beckham whose award winning and critically acclaimed ready to wear collections have become a multi-million dollar business.
About Jamie King:
Jamie King, the leading concert director in the world of pop music today, is currently executive producer and co-star of the hit Fox / Univision Latin talent reality series Q’Viva (in partnership with Jennifer Lopez, Mark Anthony and Simon Fuller) and director of Q’viva Live at Mandalay Bay. King is also the writer / director of the 2011-12 box office hit Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour and earlier this year directed Madonna’s historic Superbowl Halftime Show. In July of 2011, Variety published a twelve page special tribute issue celebrating King’s career as “Billion Dollar Show Director” highlighting the nineteen pop music tours he has helmed (with a combined box office closing in on two billion dollars). Also in 2011, King directed Rihanna’s Loud Tour and Britney Spears’ Femme Fatal Tour. He previously directed Rihanna’s Last Girl On Earth tour, Britney Spears’ Circus tour, Celine Dion’s Taking Chances tour, Ricky Martin’s Black and White tour, Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics tour and The Return of the Spice Girls tour, among others. For the past fourteen years, Jamie King has served as Madonna’s creative director, having directed her Sticky & Sweet world tour and her record-breaking Confessions world tour. He also directed & choreographed Madonna’s Re-Invention and Drowned World Tours, and directed her hit music video, “Sorry”. An Emmy Award ® and MTV Video Music Award ® nominee, and greatly influenced by his early years working for both Prince and Michael Jackson, King has worked with an array of superstars including Mariah Carey, Shakira, George Michael, Elton John, Diana Ross, Jennifer Lopez and even Ellen DeGeneres. In 2005, his strong caché in the pop music world and his athletic dance moves caught the attention of athletic gear powerhouse Nike who tapped him to be their global spokesperson and to create the Nike Rockstar Workout ® (taught in gyms worldwide). Fitness publishing giant Rodale thereafter released his hip-hop inspired dance fitness best selling DVD and book, Rock Your Body ®. In 2006, Variety named King as one of the most influential “movers and shakers” in the music industry, branding him the “Jerry Bruckheimer of tent-pole concert tours”.
About the Mandalay Bay Events Center
The Mandalay Bay Events Center is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the Events Center offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Mandalay Bay Events Center also is home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events throughout the year, the annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction, Tiger Jam hosted by Tiger Woods as well as the annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards on UNIVISION.
About AEG Live
AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance. AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices and owns, operates or exclusively books thirty-five state-of-the-art venues. The current and recent concert tour roster includes artists such as Taylor Swift, The Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Justin Bieber, Leonard Cohen, Wisin & Yandel, Kenny Chesney, P!nk, Enrique Iglesias and Paul McCartney. The company is also currently producing residency shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas including Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain opening in December and is the exclusive promoter at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Our exhibition at portfolio boasts the most successful exhibition of all time, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which has attracted more than 8 million visitors since 2005. AEG Live is also the largest producer of music festivals in North America from the critically acclaimed Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach Country Music Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. www.aeglive.com
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For further information, please contact:
| XIX Media Contact:
Roger Widyowski XIX Entertainment 310-746-1949 rogerw@xixentertainment.com
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For AEG Live:
Suzanne Richardson AEG Live 702-650-8403
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| US Hispanic/Latin America Media Contacts:
Jennifer Becerra H&M Communications 310-289-5066
Lourdes Mateo de Acosta 305-663-8334
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