Dance encyclopedia

Moonwalk

Dance figure popularised by Michael Jackson.

Moonwalk
Image: Alvaro Marques Hijazo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About Moonwalk

The moonwalk, or backslide, is a popping dance move in which the performer glides backwards but their body actions suggest forward motion. It became popular around the world when American singer Michael Jackson performed the move during the performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, which was broadcast in 1983; he later incorporated it in tours and live performances. Jackson has been credited as renaming the "backslide" as the moonwalk and it became his signature move. The moonwalk existed for decades before it had that name: Cab Calloway called it "the buzz"; California's black dancers called it the backslide; tap dancers, a skate; and the French mime artist Marcel Marceau called it "walking against the wind."

From the Wikipedia article “Moonwalk (dance)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.