Michael Jackson the dancer

J

jennyisdancing

Active Member
I'm surprised no one has started a thread in remembrance of Michael Jackson, considering the huge mark he made as a dancer. Please no flames regarding the weird/unsavory aspects of MJ; that belongs elsewhere. I just wanted to start a thread to celebrate his dancing and invite any comments as to how he influenced you as a dancer.

Personally, I was one of the millions who grew up watching his videos and trying to do his moves. This weekend, I was at a WCS dance and they did an MJ tribute with several of his songs. His music is still often played for partner dancing at so many events, and of course in clubs, parties and weddings.

Also, I never knew until today that Michael held a patent. He invented special shoes which he used for his gravity-defying forward lean in the "Smooth Criminal" number on stage.

More info at:
http://mashable.com/2015/03/28/michael-jackson-shoe-patent/

And a high-quality video here, where you can see the shoes in action. The moment is at 2:43, but watch the whole thing just to enjoy the amazing dancing and choreography.
 
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There was a thread started under Dancer's Anon. but very few people commented, which I found odd. Esp. given the impact he has had on pop culture and on dancers all over the world and across all genres. R.I.P. MJ.
 
canismajor41 said:
There was a thread started under Dancer's Anon. but very few people commented, which I found odd. Esp. given the impact he has had on pop culture and on dancers all over the world and across all genres. R.I.P. MJ.
Click to expand...

Thanks...I missed that thread, sorry if anyone considers this one a repeat, but I did offer some new stuff that wasn't under the other thread. I agree it's hugely odd not to see more comments. Michael Jackson's influence on dance ranks with Fred Astaire. In fact, Astaire called Jackson to praise him after seeing Jackson on the Motown 25th anniversary awards (that's the appearance that made Jackson an icon with his glove, hat, and moonwalk).

A couple quotes from Astaire, about Michael Jackson:

“Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That’s the greatest dancer of the century”. - Fred Astaire
“I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!”- Fred Astaire (shortly before his death)
 
He had a huge impact on my dancing and my love of it. I grew up admiring what his body could do to music (in one of the many many tributes to him, Sean P Diddy Combs said that Michael helped him "see the beat" and it is soo true!) and hope that my dancing hobby and my love of it is a sufficient tribute to his influence on me. The man truly knew what it was to dance without abandon and with his entire being. I can only hope to experience the joy he must have felt when he danced, one day.

Great picture of Val and Daria, by the way...

At a WCS dance I went to this weekend, the DJ must have played 15 MJ songs in a row. It was awesome! So fun to dance to and express yourself... I am so glad that everything that came out of that man's genius has been preserved for posterity, for generations to enjoy and love.:)
 
It would be kind of neat if the dance world could make an MJ National Dance Holiday. You know like to have all of the studios dedicate a Friday night social or something like that, and just dance to his music, and to do this once a year. That would be kind of cool! I know that sounds like a weird idea, and the idea probably would never stand a chance in the dance world, but he was definately one of a kind!!!

Anyways, I loved his music videos! I remember watching an old reunion of him and his brothers, and that was amazing to me. They had such talent!!!! I'm going to miss that. The worst was when I saw his body being taken into the ambulance. If I hadn't of been at work, I probably would have broke down then.
 
I missed the other thread. Dancers Anon is a section I don't check as regularly as the others, so I was thinking exactly the same as you, Jenny.

Michael was the most influential dancer of his time, reaching all over the globe with his music and videos.
His The Way You Make Me Feel is the highlight of any WCS dance I'm at. There will alway be a Michael Jackson song playing at a dance event somewhere long after he's gone.
 
amazing talent, as dancer, vocalist, and performer. hard to hear one of his songs without wanting to get up and move -- i always get the feeling that his whole being was wrapped up in his voice, movement, sense of rhythm, and presence, with that as a key to his powerful impact on so many.

he aligned himself so perfectly to work with natural forces through his body and creative expression -- that's a powerful thing, and no doubt the basis for the amazing way he moved so freely.
 
samina said:
amazing talent, as dancer, vocalist, and performer. hard to hear one of his songs without wanting to get up and move -- i always get the feeling that his whole being was wrapped up in his voice, movement, sense of rhythm, and presence, with that as a key to his powerful impact on so many.

he aligned himself so perfectly to work with natural forces through his body and creative expression -- that's a powerful thing, and no doubt the basis for the amazing way he moved so freely.
Click to expand...

ditto that.

MJs music from the 80s is incredible, so powerful, rich and has a feeling of being almost organic. I love Smooth Criminal - that is just so cool.

I don't see much on the news about how much he gave to charity - some folk claim more than $300 million. Anyone remember the song 'Gone too Soon' for Ryan White? All of his generosity to those less fortunate is soon forgotton and I find that incredibly sad...
 
True enough. There were so many sides to Michael Jackson. It's difficult, for me, to seperate the performer from the man.....however...

His music will go on for a long time to come. It always makes me want to dance. What a talent.

And, that is all I'm going to say........................................
 
There is a yearly "thrill the world" where they try to get as many people doing the thriller dance at the same time across the world. They have their own website. they have videos on how to teach the dance on you tube and lots of other great stuff. I think that would be the best tribute our studios could do for him. teach the thriller dance in a group lesson and join "thrill the world". it is in october some time and i bet it is huge this year.
 
If you've seen the video of Michale's "last rehearsal" at the Staples Center, or care to look for it on line, you will be able to see the step(s) I am writing about.
Something looked familiar...
As Michael turns, his leg goes out straight and low, then up from the knee, followed by two or three very small "bouncing" steps. It happens at about 1:04 into the clip, and he does it twice.
Hadn't I seen this before? Perhaps in the "Black and White" video.
Several years ago, as I became more "serious" about my dancing, I bought a dvd of "Michael Jackson - Number Ones", which of course has the "Black and White" video
Once the music and dancing kicks in, Michael dances with a series of "ethnic dancers". There, in what appears to be the American Southwest, he is dancing with Native Americans (aka American Indians), and there is the same step he does in the released "final rehearsal" video.
When dancing with each of the groups, Michael dances in a similar style. I'm going to guess he worked with the dancers to learn their steps. I have material from a few books about Native American dance and have tried to emulate the style myself.
Why? Mostly because there is a song we line dance to "Hey Ho Alina" that has lyrics referring to a Cherokee Chief, etc, (CHEROKEE BOOGIE (Moon Mullican - William C. Redbird)) [SIZE=-1]« © '51 » done by BR-549) [/SIZE]and the steps in the dance appear to be a somewhat crude representation of how Native dancers would do them.
And, it is different. And it's surprisingly hard to get right. And, it will work lots of places as a variation.
How cool is it that Michael pulled out this step how many years after working with Native Americans?
 
"Hey Ho Alina", really?! Now I am curious about the name of this song as the title contains my name;)

But more seriously, Michael was a dance chameleon; he could do anything he wanted with his body. It's so great that he left video samples of his supreme gift for posterity...
 
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