Moonwalk (dance)

From Jackopedia

The moonwalk or backslide is a dance technique that presents the illusion that the dancer is stepping forward while actually moving backward. It gives the appearance of a person moving along a conveyor belt. The dance gained worldwide popularity after Michael Jackson executed it during his performance of his song "Billie Jean" on the March 25, 1983, television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever,^[1] and was considered his signature move.^[2] The moonwalk has since become one of the best known dance moves in the world.^[2]

Contents 1 History of the Moonwalk 2 How the step is executed 3 Variations 4 In nature 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History of the Moonwalk

The moonwalk was recorded as early as 1955 in a performance by tap dancer Bill Bailey.^[3] The French mime, Marcel Marceau, used it throughout his career (from the 1940s through the 1980s), as part of the drama of his mime routines, such as in trying to chase a balloon.

David Bowie was probably the first rock musician to perform the move^[4], however he remained stationary. Having studied under British mime Lindsay Kemp who in turn trained with Marcel Marceau, an embryonic version appears in Bowie's 1960s mime pieces. By the time of his 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour, Michael Jackson was among those attending his Los Angeles shows^[5], later remarking on Bowie's strange moves.

James Brown used the move in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. A member of the Electric Boogaloos performance group, Timothy 'Popin Pete' Solomon, also performed the dance move in the Talking Heads video 'Crosseyed And Painless', which aired around 1981.^{[citation needed]}

Jeffrey Daniel was the first person to perform "the backslide" on television, during a performance of Shalamar's "A Night to Remember" on, the British music show, Top of the Pops. The song was a hit in 1982, almost a year before Michael Jackson moonwalked for the second time on television on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever broadcast. Jackson was a big fan in the 1970s of Soul Train. He soon met, learned from, and later hired dancer/choreographers from the Soul Train TV show.^{[citation needed]} Dance partners Geron "Casper" Candidate and Cooley Jackson claim that they taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk. Casper also claims that he still has the check stub Michael Jackson used to pay Cooley and himself for teaching Michael the moonwalk.^{[citation needed]} The name "moonwalk" is one which was dubbed by the media, not by Jackson or Daniel.

[edit] How the step is executed

The ordinary moonwalk is defined as the following series of moves:

1. place right foot behind left foot, then raise right foot to toe, in an "L" position
2. slide left foot back to finish at right foot, slowly moving upward onto its toes
3. while moving left foot onto the toes, right foot simultaneously moves down to be flat
4. process repeats on each foot
5. leg that is moving backwards bends kneecap slightly forward to create illusion of walking forward

[edit] Variations

The step has two distinct types. One is called the turn walk. This is usually performed very quickly giving the impression that the dancer is walking quickly in a circle. The other circular moonwalk type is known as the 360 or Four-Corner Moonwalk and is often done much more slowly in a floating style. This involves sliding a heel back (usually the left heel), pivoting both heels to change direction, and then pivoting the non-sliding heel 45 degrees. Other moonwalk variants include the "sidewalk" or "side glide", in which the dancer appears to glide sideways, and the "spotwalk", in which the dancer appears to moonwalk in place.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In nature

The Red-capped Manakin of Central America performs a mating dance similar to that of backsliding. During the male's performance, he shuffles his feet rapidly backwards or sideways.^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jeffrey Daniel performs the moonwalk on Top of the Pops (UK) in 1982 to Shalamar's 'Night to Remember'
• Michael Jackson performs two moonwalks during a live performance of Billie Jean at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards
• A 'How to Moonwalk' video clip demonstrated by Anthony King