George Michael asked Chinese to ‘have a quick dance’ during historic tour

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Late Wham! star George Michael appears to be asking residents to “get up and have a quick dance” in never-before-seen archive footage from the group’s historic tour in China.

The duo, made up of Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, feature in the newly released trailer for the upcoming documentary Wham! 10 Days In China about their 1985 visit when they became the first Western pop group to perform in the country.

The trailer gives a sneak peek of the restored, newly digitised footage of the duo as they navigate the tour, including concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou, where they introduced live pop music to audiences under strict guidelines at the time.

The tour marked a pivotal moment for the band by expanding its international profile.

The two-minute trailer features archive footage and interviews with those who experienced the tour first-hand, revealing the pressure the pair felt, especially Michael who appeared to have been struggling.

“Perhaps all this sudden fame has gone to your heads,” a reporter can be heard asking the pair at a press conference before cutting to the two standing up to leave.

The film will revisit the trip through the eyes of the band, their team and Chinese audiences who encountered Western pop culture for the first time.

Wham! achieved five UK number one singles and are best known for songs such as Last Christmas, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, and I’m Your Man.

The group also achieved six top 10 albums, including two number ones, before their split in 1986.

Michael began his solo career a year later with the release of his debut album Faith.

The singer died on Christmas Day in 2016 and was recognised, nearly a decade on, with a posthumous Fellowship of The Ivors Academy in May.

Wham! 10 Days in China will be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer later this summer and be released in cinemas worldwide from July 28th.