The Short Answer (TSA)
The Moonwalk is a dance move the gives the illusion of the dancer being pulled backward while trying to walk forward. Often compared to walking in a strong wind (with the powerful wind blowing the dancer backward as they try to walk forward), verbal descriptions of dance moves are notoriously . . . less than adequate.
So, have a look.
Moonwalk
This “move”
has a remarkably long history. Cab
Calloway said that the move was called “The Buzz” when he performed it on stage
in 1932. Judy Garland and Margaret
O’Brien did the move in the film Meet Me
In St. Louis in 1944. The French
mime, Marcel Marceau, used it for 40 years in his routine, “Walking Against the
Wind.” In the 50’s, Dick Van Dyke
performed the move in a comedy routine called “Mailing A Letter On A Windy
Corner.” James Brown used the move in
the film “The Blues Brothers.”
During the
60’s and 70’s, a California street dance style called “popping” included the
move. Even with the long history, the
moonwalk was anything but famous.. But, then,
extensive use of the move by popper Jeffrey Daniel who performed the Moonwalk
frequently in public performances would change everything. Daniels had a fan who admired his dancing: Michael
Jackson.
Popping
During the 1983
television special, Motown 25: Yesterday,
Today, Forever, Michael Jackson’s performance featured the Moonwalk. His prolonged performance of that
single move brought cheers from the audience.
The move became the focus of public attention.
Michael Jackson made moonwalking his signature move performing it in his song, “Billie
Jean.” Jackson’s autobiography was
titled Moonwalk. Jackson starred in the 1988 film, Moonwalker.
So, today, almost everyone
knows what you mean when you talk about dancing the Moonwalk. Of course, it’s a lot easier to say than to
do.
M Grossmann of Hazelwood,
Missouri
& Belleville, Illinois
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