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Origins of the Moonwalk

LOL, and no one will argue that Michael had the will-and-all to master it. But he had to learn it from somebody. Also even though I don't like the EB's comments, they themselves (and Jeffrey) didn't "invent" the backslide and the moonwalk (which what I explain is actually when you move around in a popping motion around your body) but they sure emulated what they saw in the movies and I'm sure Michael took bits of the dancers of HIS generation and the dancers of years past to do what he has done. You see his live performances of "Billie Jean", it's a mixture of classic and modern dancing. The backslide was a part of dance culture and black culture for over 50 years before Michael finally put a stamp on it. That's the point I was trying to make with this thread while SOME of y'all were willing to go off topic. :smilerolleyes: :lol:
 
wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
several different people claim to have taught michael the moonwalk. It's not really known who did and frankly it gets boring hearing about it because like i said in my first post, it's just one step and not even close to being michael's most interesting. I don't think it was jeff though. The eb are dick heads, lol. They're all just mad cause they know michael could wipe the floor with em anyhow. Why do you think they always get relegated to the popping section of the video? Lol. Bottom line is, you can't teach someone how to dance. You can teach them steps, but you can't ever teach someone to move with the fluidity, grace, speed and accuracy that michael does. Those are natural elements you must be born with.
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i totaly agree
 
Well, maybe I don't have much knowledge, but I believe the source of inspiration just the way Michael stated in the interview wtih Oprah: from black kids on the street. The kids might have learnt it from some movies and stuff, yes, but Michael sincerly gave credit to them and I respect his respect for the kids.
 
Actually, Jeffrey DID teach Michael the moonwalk, La Toya (as unreliable as some say she is) Has says he did, from the very beginning, the first time, AFAIK, in that The unauthorized interview of Michael Jackson. Its fact. EB are some of the originators of the dance that is popular today and are very highly respected in the dance community, I hardly think Michael would wipe the floor with them, there are aspects of things they do better, and there are aspects of things that Michael does better, the only difference being that they are still currently active, but i guess you can't really compare that.

Also, I think Michael always says the kids on the street, because EB were the kids on the street and influenced a load of kids on the street. Do you really think Michael Jackson could ever be on a street with kids learning a dance without being mobbed?
 
Michael's more all-around than them, he's a bad-ass (meaning: good) but I don't think that he's as much a break-dancing pop-locker as they are, they do some uncomfortable moves so they're great dancers! :lol: Michael's more of the old school quality. That's why I posted the video because his moves mixed pop-locking with miming and old school hoofing. That's what you get with Michael Jackson: a mixture of James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., Electric Boogaloo, Pop Lockers and Jeffrey Daniels all in one. That's what people sometimes misinterpret. Doesn't mean that anyone's saying they're better than him but he provides a mixture that just makes him more unique to people, especially to those who don't know the origins. Looking at that video and videos by the pop-lockers and others it makes you appreciate Michael's talent even more.

I always felt he was goofing with the black "kids" comment, lol. But that's just me. :lol: Michael's fellow dancers that claimed to have taught with him (and Jeffrey Daniels could very well be the one) were around his age, around the 20-25 age bracket. :yes: But I guess since he didn't know them personally and he was always moving, of course he'll say "kids". :lol: Could you still be a kid at 25? Yes, but that's besides the point. :lol:

Michael's just a old school soul that just knew how to take all factors of dancing from the past 50 years and put it in his act.
 
I think you summed that up quite nicely... troubleman.
 
troubleman84 said:
Michael's fellow dancers that claimed to have taught with him (and Jeffrey Daniels could very well be the one) were around his age, around the 20-25 age bracket.
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Jeffery Daniels, Michael Chambers, Cooley Jackson, Geron Candidate, probably more lol we'd love to pretend that blanks have to be filled but any one of those could have introduced the move to Mike. and those guys worked with Mike before J Daniels had a crack at it, but it's not of any significance to be frank because someone's probably going to dig up some footage of the moonwalk from like the 17th century and also because it is the most overrated step in history.
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ArX, I hate to disappoint you but what Michael calls "the moonwalk" isn't really the moonwalk, man. :lol:

What Michael made famous was the "back slide". MIKE called it the moonwalk but it's actually wrong. :lol:

The moonwalk is when you glide around on stage with your body and pivot your feet and move around.

How ironic we've all gotten it wrong. Jeffrey Daniels in one video actually corrected the dance moves in that video that has already been posted.

The BACKSLIDE could be overrated but remember why it's overrated. ;)

Michael's entire "Billie Jean" performance consumes of everybody from that video I posted. Moonwalk or not, you have to see why Michael SAW it and then just DID it. :lol:

I wanna have a discussion not a smart "well who cares because Mike's the best" comment. :tease:

God, some of y'all really want this thread to self-destruct? :lol:

Not talking to you, ArX, but yeah, too many people have done the backslide and all of them did it before MJ. :lol: Just like the robot was done before MJ did it in 1973. :lol: Just like Michael's early dancing was done by James Brown before MJ did it in 1968. :lol:
 
But for those that wanna know the history, maybe it doesn't hurt "to fill in the blanks". ;) Doesn't belittle Michael Jackson's genius whatsoever. But if you believe it does, then this thread isn't for you. :tease:
 
Timster, the whole world knows the moonwalk as you'd expect them to know it - the definition has already been set lol that's what i'm referring to.
 
Wow, well this ish is interesting. I've been walking around acting like Michael owns the world b/c he came up with the moonwalk.. or backslide, I should say, lol.

I still think he perfected the dance, regardless if he came up with the foundations or not. It will forever be associated and linked to Mike, so kudos to you, MJ.
 
Jabz said:
:D
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And that's why James Brown was the baddest man on the planet during his heyday. :yes: The man did so many dance moves that his influence passed on to MJ and Michael took after him and put so many different dances to his own. :yes:

Now Michael's the baddest but you can't be the baddest performer on the planet without emulating anybody. Nothing is "original" but all of them accompanied originality to their dancing. Ain't nothing fake about what any dancer does.

Now dancers of now... maybe they're doing too much but dancers back then were really soulful with their dancing. :yes:
 
Jabz said:
Actually, Jeffrey DID teach Michael the moonwalk, La Toya (as unreliable as some say she is) Has says he did, from the very beginning, the first time, AFAIK, in that The unauthorized interview of Michael Jackson. Its fact. EB are some of the originators of the dance that is popular today and are very highly respected in the dance community, I hardly think Michael would wipe the floor with them, there are aspects of things they do better, and there are aspects of things that Michael does better, the only difference being that they are still currently active, but i guess you can't really compare that.

Also, I think Michael always says the kids on the street, because EB were the kids on the street and influenced a load of kids on the street. Do you really think Michael Jackson could ever be on a street with kids learning a dance without being mobbed?
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I forget his name now, but some guy with the nickname Casper is generally regarded as THE guy who first taught Michael the step.

And yeah, Michael could wipe the floor with them. They do some popping motion better then him, those waves and things like that, but when it comes to actual dancing, moving one step to another, they don't come close to Michael. Not to mention they've been able to concentrate on one form of movement, whereas Michael has had to split his time between being a professional recording artist and dancer and has had to stretch his time to all form of dance. And dang, can you be in ANY conversation about Michael without complaining about his "inactivity"?
 
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arXter, you couldn't be more right about it being the most overrated step in history, lol.

Bottom line is, nobody invented anything and everybody learned from somebody. Steps don't matter. What matters is execution and style. Michael has a unique style and he executes better then anyone.
 
browneyedgirl said:
Wow, well this ish is interesting. I've been walking around acting like Michael owns the world b/c he came up with the moonwalk.. or backslide, I should say, lol.

I still think he perfected the dance, regardless if he came up with the foundations or not. It will forever be associated and linked to Mike, so kudos to you, MJ.
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Yeah he perfected it. No one's disputing that. I'm just saying, the dance was something different before MJ. :yes: But if you wanna know when Michael does the actual moonwalk, I'll show you:



He does it here around 5:14. ;)
 
I guess MJ named it the "moonwalk" because it was a cooler name to call it but the real moonwalk is actually more difficult to do than the backslide, lol. :D He even added the step at the end of the backslide, much like Sammy Davis or Bojangles did at the end of their tap dancing or just around it. :yes:

Those dances have a complicated history. We better be glad Michael brought it to the world! LOL
 
Nope :D lol, I do love me some inactivity talk.

Geron Casper Candidate and his dance partner Dane Parker, (the shakey guy with the glasses in Beat it, both of them were in it though), he was a Soul Train dancer, as was Jeffrey, all these guys were connected, they are all friends and know each other. He said his check for his private lessons with Michael was cancelled, and such.
 
Michael was a longtime fan of "Soul Train" as much as he was a guest over there. ^_^ I wonder people's reactions were when Michael did the robot at "Soul Train". :lol:

Speaking of, James did a very good robot dance move there. ^_^ HIT ME! :lol:
 
troubleman84 said:
Yeah he perfected it. No one's disputing that. I'm just saying, the dance was something different before MJ. :yes: But if you wanna know when Michael does the actual moonwalk, I'll show you:





He does it here around 5:14. ;)
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Oh wow, for real? Who knew... ( well, apparently you and not me ;) )

Aw, way to go. Now every time someone calls it the moonwalk, I'll have the urge to correct them and explain the whole thing, LOL. =P
 
Yeah, that's the guy. I can't ever remember their names. They're all connected, yeah, but each one claimes he or the other taught Michael. In the end I'm like, who cares, lol. Someone taught it to them too. But nobody cares because nobody knows who they are and they're typical. Jefferey is a good dancer though.

Hey man, I already pointed out in the beginning of this thread that the actual moonwalk is that circular motion Michael does at the end of "Billie Jean" during the "Bad" tour and "Victory" tour, lol.

I don't think Michael called it the moonwalk, I think the media did, for whatever reason, and it stuck.
 
browneyedgirl said:
Oh wow, for real? Who knew... ( well, apparently you and not me ;) )

Aw, way to go. Now every time someone calls it the moonwalk, I'll have the urge to correct them and explain the whole thing, LOL. =P
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And that's just about EVERYBODY! :lol: Even Mike be like "but I thought..." :lol:
 
I like everyone to know its the black slide, though I still call it the moonwalk. It's like saying black people weren't in America first, lol.
 
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