Our world is full of illusions. Some of them frighten, others attract and fascinate. The art of creating illusions, as is known, is the prerogative of magicians and card sharpers. But a good dancer, possessing the right qualities, is able to assemble movements into a dance in such a way that it turns it into an unforgettable spectacle, bordering on the fantastic. The King of Pop Michael Jackson was and will remain such a great Dancer. The “moonwalk” performed by him is forever imprinted in the memory of fans and even people far from dancing as the greatest illusion of choreography.
Birth of a legend
The first performance of the movement now known as the “moonwalk” belongs to the American jazz singer Cab Calloway and dates from 1932. Later, similar elements were used in their speeches by others. famous showmen, including the famous French mime - Marcel Marceau. It is believed that it was his dance performance “Walking Against the Wind” that provided the prerequisites for the performance of this movement by Michael Jackson in his 1983 performance on the program “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever”, which became a legend. His unique performance style has glorified this element for centuries. Since then, the name of Michael Jackson, the title of the song “Billie Jean” (to which the dance was first performed) and the “moonwalk” are inseparable and symbolize the era of great dance achievements, just like the constant attributes legendary singer and a dancer: a black hat, a white glove on one hand and socks with silver threads.
origin of name
This dance received the name “moonwalk” due to the visual lightness and smoothness of the dancer’s movements. After all, science has long known that the Moon has much less gravity than our planet Earth. Therefore, a person’s steps on the Moon are light, weightless and barely touch the surface of the planet. This can be observed in the footage of the first filming of the landing of people on the Moon and, by comparing what was seen with the dance movement, one can once again be convinced that Michael Jackson’s “moonwalk” has no analogues and is rightfully considered “unearthly.”
Moonwalk technique
"Moonwalk" how dance element- This is footwork that simulates walking forward. But as a result of a special technique of performance, it looks like sliding backwards, as if the dancer is being pulled into something reverse side. The movement consists of an alternating change of foot positions: from the toe to the full foot and vice versa. To achieve a smooth sliding effect, you need to move your foot back without lifting it off the floor or lifting your heel. When the toes of the sliding leg are at the level of the leg standing on the toe, the latter lowers onto the entire foot, and the first rises onto the toe. This change of position occurs throughout the entire movement. To hone your technique you need good plastic and speed. After practicing this element, movements of the shoulders and head are added. Now this is a real “moonwalk”. But to achieve a decent level of its implementation, you will have to spend more than one month in the training room in front of the mirror.
On May 16, 1983, Michael Jackson performed "Billie Jean" in a televised concert to celebrate Motown's twentieth anniversary. At the end of this television show, in which fifty million viewers saw the moon walk, the audience gave the magnificent Jackson a standing ovation. Let's find out how this dance came about.
The appearance of the moon walk
At this time, the moonwalk had already appeared on the streets. This owl-like dance was born as a breakdancing movement, created by black boys dancing on street corners and ghettos. They taught Michael the dance, showed him the basics, which he continued to practice and complicate. Jackson moved forward and backward at the same time, as if walking on the moon. To the question: “Who taught him to dance like that,” Michael invariably answered the same thing: “Training.”The popularity of the moonwalk and Michael himself
Michael's performance was analyzed in detail by the authoritative Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. They expressed their admiration for his dancing and accepted Michael into the unofficial brotherhood of dancers. After Michael's performance, the lunar path became very popular. In the USA, there were even competitions for best performance dance. Consequently, the popularity of Jackson himself increased. His next album, Thriller (1984), won seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards.How to dance
Many people are interested in how to learn to dance the moonlit path? In fact, these movements cannot be broken down into steps and described in words. The best way out In this situation, we see the purchase of video cassettes with Jackson songs and videos. Constant training and repetition of dance movements after the singer will lead you to the desired result. It may also be of some help autobiographical book Jackson's "Moonwalk", written in 1988.MICHAEL'S MOONWALK
If you believe the statement that every person has their fifteen minutes of fame in life, then for Michael Jackson this significant moment occurred on the evening of May 16, 1983. The singer, already well-known by this time, produced the effect of a bomb exploding by performing a song on anniversary concert record company Motown Rec, and specifically the first performance of its now legendary .
Story
Michael Jackson had been walking toward this “finest hour,” a moment that the singer himself calls one of the happiest in his life, for twenty years. After all, the “king of pop” began his career at the age of five in the family ensemble “Jackson 5,” which was organized by Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, himself a former blues guitarist. Initially, the group consisted of Michael's four older brothers, but, quickly noticing the extraordinary musical abilities baby, Joe Jackson included him in the family ensemble. Michael's precociously mature vocals and unusual dance skills as a soloist quickly attracted the public's attention to the band, allowing them to win a couple music competitions. Then there were several years of performances in clubs in nearby cities and states of America. And in 1968, six years after the creation of the group, the Jackson 5 signed their first contract with record company Motown. During the eight years of cooperation with this company, the group regularly released hits that occupied the top lines of the American charts. These years were not in vain for solo career Michael Jackson: it was with Motown that the singer, at the age of fourteen, released his first single, which climbed to the top American chart. However, due to a lack of creative freedom, the Jacksons decided not to renew their contract with Motown, and in 1976 they signed a new agreement with the Epic record label, losing the right to be called "Jackson5". Now they became simply "The Jacksons". The next important step on the way to dizzying career for Michael, it was his participation in the African-American version of the film “The Wizard of Oz”, on the set of which he met Diana Ross, who became his friend on long years, as well as with a man who played a huge role in creative life singer - Quincy Jones. It was with his help that it was recorded solo album Michael's "Off the Wall", which brought him to the category American stars first magnitude. Quincy Jones also produced the singer’s triumphant album “Thriller” - the best-selling album in the history of music.
Such success can be called natural, given Michael Jackson’s desire for excellence in all areas of his activity, including dancing. The singer experienced his first success in this field after performing the song “Dancing Machine” in 1974. This is how he himself describes this event: “When the song “Dancing Machine” came out, my main task was to find dance moves that could decorate the performance, make it more spectacular and exciting. And on the set of the “Soul Train” program during the performance of “Dancing Machine” I did dance movement in the style of street dance, which was called “robot”. I soon learned the power of television - rising to the top of the charts and within days it seemed like every kid in the US was doing the "robot" dance. I've never seen anything like this again." In fact, this was just the beginning. Back then, Jackson did not know what fate awaited his “moonwalk” (steps forward, creating the illusion of moving backwards) - the singer’s trademark. The name of this movement became synonymous with its success. But Michael is not the inventor of the moonwalk. According to the Internet encyclopedia wikipedia.org, these steps were first demonstrated by the famous French actor Jean Louis Barrault in the 1964 film "Children of Paradise" in a classic pantomime called "The Walk". And the same source indicates that the first performer of the “moonwalk” as we know it was the American dancer and singer Jeffrey Daniel, and he presented it in 1982 in the show Shalamar’s “A night to remember.” Interestingly, before performing the “moonwalk” on anniversary party company Motown Rec, Jackson had already used this movement in his performances, but the audience “blew up” right then - on May 16, 1983. And it wasn’t just the television broadcast that provided this event with a multi-million audience, it was just that everything coincided that evening – the song, the dance, Jackson’s mood; the rhythm of the music seemed to be born from Michael’s movements - in a word, harmony reigned on stage. It's interesting that the singer last day I didn’t know how to “format” my speech. He thought out his appearance– asked his assistants to find him a black spy hat and a black jacket, got hold of one white glove and prepared white sequined socks (which, by the way, always horrified his mother), but how to go on stage, what to do and how to dance – Michael Jackson I couldn't decide for a long time. The epiphany came to him the night before the performance, in the kitchen of his home in Los Angeles. Jackson turned on the music and just let his body move to the rhythm, and then everything fell into place - he saw the whole number. All that remained was to bring it to life. This is how Michael Jackson himself described this event in his book “Moonwalk”: “I went on stage and began to move to the rhythm of the music, I did what I had in mind, and only at the end of the performance I could not fix the stand on my toes, I began to fall and put one leg up. Because of this, I left the stage a little upset, because I am used to doing everything perfectly. But, as it turned out, no one noticed this mistake and behind the scenes people began to come up to me and congratulate me on an excellent performance. And the next day Fred Astaire himself called me at home and praised me as only he could, saying that I was “an evil dancer, just like himself.” And these words were the greatest reward for me.”
The MTV channel played a big role in the singer’s career, one of the first to launch his mini-film “Thriller”, and then other videos for songs from the album of the same name. Jackson was incredibly lucky in that the next takeoff of his career coincided with the start of the music channel, from whose huge audience the singer’s fans and followers were formed. MTV even then had a huge influence on its teenage viewers, shaping the fashion for music, clothing style, and dancing. And, as expected, Jackson's dancing talent found its admirers. The sharp and clear movements performed by the singer, unusual for that time, were naturally combined with smooth transitions. Stunning turns and an unforgettable moonwalk, the ability to “respond” with the body to every rhythm and move “as if without bones” - all this won Jackson the fame of a brilliant dancer. According to one of the “star” choreographers, the eminent Tony Stone, Jackson belongs to that small number of stars with whom he works “on an equal footing” - without adjusting, without trying to create a dance that would be within his power, and sometimes even something learning from him.
More than twenty years have passed since Jackson’s triumphant speech, but “his work lives on.” There are many links on the Internet to virtual dance schools that promise to teach you how to “moonwalk”; Parodists and numerous Jackson imitators first learn the famous move, which today is considered one of the most recognizable dance moves in the world. It is believed that Michael’s “moonwalk,” popularized by the media, “promoted” popping, a dance that moved from the streets of impoverished areas of American cities to the world stage.
How to learn the Moonwalk
1. Stand sideways in relation to the mirror. Feet together. Hands are in a free position. Body weight is on both legs.
2. Place left leg back onto your toes and slowly transfer your body weight onto it, leaning back slightly. Stand in this position and feel the emphasis on your left leg.
3. Try to move your right leg back as smoothly as possible, with a sliding movement, without lifting it from the floor.
4. The right leg should slide as far back as possible. The weight of the body is still on the left leg.
5. Lower the heel of your left foot and at the same moment lift your heel right leg. Now calmly transfer your body weight to your right leg (this is very important point in "Moonwalk")
6. And now your left leg is free. Now she can easily slide backwards along the floor, behind her right leg. As soon as it slips, change the heels of your left and right legs (lower the right, raise the left) and transfer your body weight again to the left leg. Thus, you are back to position No. 2. Loop these movements one after another and move backward relative to the floor. Position No. 1 is the starting position and does not need to be repeated. Once your legs get used to certain positions, start working on your fluidity and tempo. Keep a straight line level on the floor and above your head. Success also depends on the flooring and footwear. You may have noticed that Michael Jackson never slipped in his sneakers. Their friction force is higher than that of shoes. I advise beginners to start learning movements in socks. Be sure to track your movements in the mirror.
Why does Michael Jackson moonwalk? January 27th, 2018
Who doesn't know Michael Jackson's moonwalk? Why is it called that?
“Moonwalk” or “sliding backwards”, or “glide” (eng. moonwalk) is a dance technique when the dancer moves backwards, while imitating the movements of the legs as when walking forward. The technique became popular around the world after Michael Jackson performed the dance moves during his performance of "Billie Jean" in March 1983. Later she became his business card", and on this moment one of the most famous technicians in the world.
But what does the Moon have to do with it? Did Armstrong walk on the moon backwards? Why is it possible to walk on the Moon like this and why? I don't find any connection with the Moon.
Let's find out...
If you believe that Michael Jackson invented the moonwalk, then you are very mistaken. It is impossible to identify a specific inventor of the moonwalk, just as it is impossible to attribute the invention of rock and roll to one artist. This dance move was, as writer Shanna Freeman put it, "the product of more than 70 years of dance evolution." Cab Calloway claimed to have performed a similar dance back in the 1930s. The earliest recordings of something very similar to Jackson's movement are those of dancer Bill Bailey.
It may have seemed to Jackson that the illusion of moving “forward and backward at the same time” looked “like walking on the moon,” but it is unlikely that there were many who thought: “Exactly! Just like Neil Armstrong!” However, the name invented by Michael, of course, stuck.
"Michael called this move the moonwalk," says Daniel, "but the moonwalk is actually a different dance." In any case, he was once different. “We called the moonwalk a movement that creates the illusion that you are on the moon, where gravity is less than Earth’s. And Michael somehow managed to call the backslide a moonwalk. But from a commercial point of view, it was probably a good move,” says Daniel, grinning at how modest he put it.
Michael Jackson's moonwalk has nothing to do with the laws of gravity. “The backslide motion is really meant to make it feel like you're walking forward and suddenly there's an escalator underneath you that's pulling you back,” says Daniel. - This is the illusion of sliding: you seem to be walking, but the ground is pulling you back - this is how it looks if you do the movement correctly. If you are clearly pulling yourself back, if you can see it in your legs, then this is an incorrect execution.”
Before the movement was called backslide, it probably had other names.
In the mid-1980s, shortly after Jackson made the moonwalk popular, one of the legendary black performers of the first half of the 20th century, Cab Calloway, was rumored to have performed it during his shows in Manhattan. A 1985 article from The Crisis stated: “When asked if his teenage grandson taught him the move, Calloway replied, “What the hell...we were doing it back in the 1930s!” Only back then it was called The Buzz.”
But if you want to know where Jackson himself saw the moonwalk, then you don’t have to guess. The answer is contained in one word: Shalamar.
It was Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel, a well-known dancer in the R&B/dance community from the TV series "Solid Gold", who brought Michael's attention to a move then called "the backslide". Although there is an opinion that the “moonwalk” is a complicated backglide, in which, in addition to the legs, the shoulders and head move.
On May 16, 1983, in a televised concert in honor of the 20th anniversary of Motown, Michael Jackson performed “Billie Jean,” and 50 million viewers saw the “moonwalk” that later became legendary. The audience gave the magnificent Michael a standing ovation.
But this performance of Michael Jackson was noticed not only by his fans. Such authorities in the world of dance as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. They openly admired his dancing and accepted Michael into an unofficial brotherhood of dancers. The moonwalk became so popular that different countries There were even competitions for the best performance of this dance. And of course, Michael’s own popularity grew instantly: the album “Thriller” (1984) won seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards.
Let's see how it was...
Michael Jackson's autobiography was titled Moonwalker and he also starred in a 1988 film called Moonwalker.
sources
