Moonwalk The Moonwalk was a factor in what set Michael apart and clearly in a league of his own in the realm of superstardom.Michael did not invent the move, but perfected it and made it his own.
First shown to the world at the Motown 25th Annviverary in a performance of "Billie Jean". Although to the viewing world the performance was fantastic, Michael himself was not happy with it, being the perfectionist he was. Nevertheless the performance at Motown 25, especially the performance of "Billie Jean" which featured the Moonwalk, will always be remembered as a magic moment in the history of music entertainment.
Learn to Moonwalk The moonwalk is a kind of an illusion and takes alot of practice. Below are the best Moonwalk instructions I could find so why not have some fun and give it a try .
Step 1. Find a pair of low grip shoes you could try to do it in your socks to start off with.
Step 2. Make sure that the ground you use to practise to moonwalk on is also not too grippy, try and find a polished floor.
Step 3. Stand with both feet close to each other, left foot slightly ahead of the right (toes of right should be in line with half the left foot)
Step 4. Now raise the heel of the right foot so that you are standing on the front of the right foot as if you are taking a step. The left foot must stay where it is (take care not to move it).
Step 5. As you lower the heel of the right foot, lean all your weight on the right foot, and drag back the left foot to so that its toes are in line with the heel of the right foot. The left foot's heel must be slightly off the ground at this stage. As you drag back, do not push down on the left foot at all or it will not glide. Make sure as you lower the heel of the right foot (slowly) the left moves at an equal speed. This will need lots of practice to master the right speed.
Step 6. Keep practicing up to the above steps until you can make the movement subconsciously without any difficulty.
Step 7. Once you have mastered that, "kick" outwards with the left foot, but although not quite touching the ground, make it look as if it is touching. Move it out a foot-size's worth away from the toes of the right. No part of the left foot should be raised higher than another.
Step 8. After you make your left foot move so it is at the starting position, lift up the heel once more of the right foot. Make sure the left leg is bent at the knee. Now repeat step 5. Keep practicing until you have the whole thing figured out, and it has been verified by others, and you feel quite comfortable with it. You should eventually get that gravity-defying effect and you'll MoonWalk like the pro.
Step 9. Once you've figured it out for the right leg bending, switch legs, and try the same with the other foot. Lift heel of left, lower left as you glide right back. Left still on the ground, throw out right foot, lift up heel of left foot, and once again drag right foot back as left heel is lowered.
As with any dance move it takes practice, practice practise. Michael is kmown to have alot of natural talent as a dancer. However he also has the total dedication to put in hours and hours of practice.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
MOONWALK
The moonwalk or backslide is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward.[1] A breakdancing move, it became popular around the world after Michael Jackson executed it during a performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on March 25, 1983. It subsequently became his signature move, and is now one of the best-known dance techniques in the world.[2][3]
Contents[hide]
1 History
1.1 Michael Jackson
2 Variations
3 In nature
4 References
//
[edit] History
Cab Calloway executed similar steps to the moonwalk as early as 1932.
The move commonly referred to as the moonwalk was originally known as the backslide, or "walking on your toes." Similar steps are reported as far back as 1932, used by Cab "Minnie the Moocher" Calloway.[4] It was first recorded in 1955 in a performance by tap dancer Bill Bailey.[5] The French mime artist, Marcel Marceau, used it throughout his career (from the 1940s through the 1980s), as part of the drama of his mime routines. Marceau's famous "Walking Against the Wind" routine was the original influence that Jackson drew from, in which Marceau pretends to be pushed backwards by a gust of wind.[6]
Prior to Jackson, James Brown had used the move,[7] for example in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. David Bowie was probably the first rock musician to perform it, though he remained stationary.[8] An embryonic version of the move appears in Bowie's 1960s mime pieces; he had studied mime under Étienne Decroux, Marceau's teacher,[9] and under Lindsay Kemp, who had trained with Marceau. By the time of his 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour, Michael Jackson was among those attending Bowie's Los Angeles shows, later remarking on Bowie's strange moves.[10] Another early moonwalker was Jeffrey Daniel, who moonwalked in a performance of Shalamar's "A Night To Remember" on Top of the Pops in 1982.[11] In the movie "Flashdance", released in 1983, the move was used in the breakdance scene, where a street performer, with an umbrella prop, mimed the wind blowing him backward as he first walks forward, fighting the wind, then starts moonwalking backwards.[12]
[edit] Michael Jackson
The dance was brought to widespread public attention in 1983, when Michael Jackson performed it during a television special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on March 25 that year. Dressed in his signature black pants, silver socks, silver shirt, black-sequinned jacket, single sequinned glove, and black fedora, Jackson grabbed his hat, spun around, posed, and started moonwalking. Ian Inglis writes that Jackson encapsulated a long tradition of African-American dance movements in that one performance. The audience gasped when they saw the move. Nelson George said that Jackson's rendition "combined Jackie Wilson's athleticism with James Brown's camel walk."[7]
[edit] Variations
A street dancer in Madrid.
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.[13]
Contents[hide]
1 History
1.1 Michael Jackson
2 Variations
3 In nature
4 References
//
[edit] History
Cab Calloway executed similar steps to the moonwalk as early as 1932.
The move commonly referred to as the moonwalk was originally known as the backslide, or "walking on your toes." Similar steps are reported as far back as 1932, used by Cab "Minnie the Moocher" Calloway.[4] It was first recorded in 1955 in a performance by tap dancer Bill Bailey.[5] The French mime artist, Marcel Marceau, used it throughout his career (from the 1940s through the 1980s), as part of the drama of his mime routines. Marceau's famous "Walking Against the Wind" routine was the original influence that Jackson drew from, in which Marceau pretends to be pushed backwards by a gust of wind.[6]
Prior to Jackson, James Brown had used the move,[7] for example in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. David Bowie was probably the first rock musician to perform it, though he remained stationary.[8] An embryonic version of the move appears in Bowie's 1960s mime pieces; he had studied mime under Étienne Decroux, Marceau's teacher,[9] and under Lindsay Kemp, who had trained with Marceau. By the time of his 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour, Michael Jackson was among those attending Bowie's Los Angeles shows, later remarking on Bowie's strange moves.[10] Another early moonwalker was Jeffrey Daniel, who moonwalked in a performance of Shalamar's "A Night To Remember" on Top of the Pops in 1982.[11] In the movie "Flashdance", released in 1983, the move was used in the breakdance scene, where a street performer, with an umbrella prop, mimed the wind blowing him backward as he first walks forward, fighting the wind, then starts moonwalking backwards.[12]
[edit] Michael Jackson
The dance was brought to widespread public attention in 1983, when Michael Jackson performed it during a television special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on March 25 that year. Dressed in his signature black pants, silver socks, silver shirt, black-sequinned jacket, single sequinned glove, and black fedora, Jackson grabbed his hat, spun around, posed, and started moonwalking. Ian Inglis writes that Jackson encapsulated a long tradition of African-American dance movements in that one performance. The audience gasped when they saw the move. Nelson George said that Jackson's rendition "combined Jackie Wilson's athleticism with James Brown's camel walk."[7]
[edit] Variations
A street dancer in Madrid.
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.[13]
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