The Moonwalk

dance · Michael Jackson · popping · illusion

Sliding backwards, stepping forward. The moonwalk is a cool trick where your feet glide backward across the floor, but your body and arms move like you're walking forward. It creates the magical illusion that you're moving in one direction when you're actually going the other way.

Named by Michael Jackson. Dancers had been doing this move for decades before Michael Jackson performed it on TV in 1983. He gave it the name 'moonwalk' and made it his signature move, though other dancers called it the backslide or skate before that.

The famous 1983 moment. Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk during 'Billie Jean' at Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, and the world went wild. After that performance, the move spread everywhere and became one of the most iconic dance moves in history.

A mime invented a version. Before Jackson made it famous, the French mime artist Marcel Marceau performed a similar move and called it 'walking against the wind.' His version told a story of struggling against invisible forces, which is pretty different from Jackson's smooth glide.

Born in California. Black dancers in California developed the backslide as part of their popping dance style long before it had the moonwalk name. It was already popular in dance communities on the West Coast before Michael Jackson brought it to worldwide attention.