Moonwalk
Moonwalk has several meanings:
- Literally, walking on the Moon, as done by astronauts in the Apollo program from 1969 to 1972
- A breakdance move. Michael Jackson introduced this move during the Motown 25th Anniversary Show in 1983; It is Jackson's signature move.
- "The Moonwalk" or "Moon Walk" is a wooden prominade along the bank of the Mississippi River in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana built in the 1970s. The name came from the New Orleans mayor who had it built, Moon Landrieu.
Moonwalk as a dance move
The Moonwalk is a well known breakdance move that gained widespread popularity after being performed by Micheal Jackson in 1983 and has since become Michael's signiture move. Indeed, although he did not invent the move, the move is so closely associated with MJ that one cannot mention either the dance or the man without people picturing the other.
The effect
The idea of the moonwalk is do give the illusion that the dancer is walking forwards whilst mysteriously moving backwards, giving the appearance that the dancer is sliding unnaturally backwards even though he should be moving forwards.
How it is done
As stated before, when done properly the dancer looks like he is walking forward normally, however this is not true, in fact, neither foot ever should be lifted entirely off the ground. The effect is gained by putting all your weight on the ball/toes of one of your feet, and putting the other foot flat on the ground, in front of your raised foot. The dancer then proceeds to slide his foot backwards whilst slightly raising and lowering the other foot to give a 'stepping' effect. When done properly the raised foot looks like it is stepping forward and the flat foot looks like it is on the ground, going 'past' the raised foot. Once this is done the feet swap roles and another step is taken. When joined together properly and natural body movements are used, the illusion can be remarkable.
Whilst Moonwalking sounds easy in theory, it is a dance move that is incredibly difficult to master, as even when one can do the correct movements, one still may lack the subtle movements that actually give the effect, with the type of shoes the dancer is wearing making a big difference on the effect. Also it initially feels a very unnatural move, and can take months to learn. However when it is pulled off properly dancers report that it does indeed feel like you are gliding backwards.