Rochester Reacts to Loss of Michael Jackson

Rochester, N.Y.) - The ROCHESTER WAR MEMORIAL is the last place Michael Jackson visited in Rochester almost 30 years ago when he performed with the Jackson Five, but his memory popped up throughout the city, including one corner not too far from the arena.Dancers on the corner of Chili and Thurston almost stopped traffic as drivers peered out the window, wanting a closer look."It's always about celebrating,” said dance instructor Chaeffan Hagins. “Michael was about celebrating."The Greater Rochester YMCA partnered with Miss Sweet Potato Pie after school program for a Michael Jackson tribute by youthful dancers. The program concentrates mostly on academics, but has outlets for poetry and, of course, dance."One thing we try to teach them is precision. When we go through, we go through a lot of Michael Jackson videos. Michael Jackson never had hard moves but he was very precise. And although we practice the precision in our dance moves, we try to practice the same precision in life. We try to show them that we need to be here on time, that we need to do things accordingly, we show them all our dance moves," Hagins said."I know about Michael Jackson," said 11-year old Andrew Kirkland. "Every time I watch him, he inspires me to do what I do best, and that is, dance…it seems like he's not really dead."Many people felt that way Tuesday. For David Dorsey, Tuesday’s memorials marked not just the end of an era, but the end of a childhood friendship with Michael Jackson.Dorsey watched Jackson's public memorial on television Tuesday, but unlike most people who mourned, he was not always a world apart from Jackson. In fact, for much of his young life, he was less than four blocks away from Jackson.“We like to call it G.I.,” Dorsey said. “Gary, Indiana."Dorsey grew up in G.I. where M.J. was a playmate and a schoolmate. In fact, Dorsey's father was a teacher who taught Michael and his older siblings. Dorsey said, "The last time I saw him I was six-years old and they had signed their contract with Motown. I remember being at the house. I got out of school early. My dad came to my class and said, 'Son, you gotta go. You and Rick, you gotta go to the Jackson’s…and Barry Gordy was there and Diana Ross."In the years that followed, Dorsey went from friend to fan. But this past week, he couldn't help but think of the early days and feel proud of his homegrown star. "To see the outpouring of love and support that he's received in this last week has just been amazing,” Dorsey said. “But by the same token, it's been very deserved for all of the things that he's done."Many think the media covered Jackson too closely.Dorsey said, "To be taken away so suddenly, I think it warranted that type of coverage and just the big impact and how he was loved, not just in the United States, but all over the world. Just to know that those concerts, in anticipation of his comeback, were already sold out… it said to me… that people still loved Mike."