Talk:Moonwalk (dance)

message: Sorry guys, but Chaplin did it first in his movie Modern Times in 1936.  You can watch the video on youtube.    — Preceding unsigned comment added by Exhaledeeply (talk • contribs) 20:51, 6 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: Charlie Chaplin did it First!! (who's surprised? not I)

message: But it does seem (from items cited) as if the actual name just derives from Apollo 11 connected Moon fever, in HR Pufnstuf !
150.143.161.221 (talk) 08:17, 21 July 2019 (UTC)
thread_title: Origin of name

message: Break dancers were doing it before Mike and Mike lifted it from them.  Mike just made it famous and acceptable.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.61.187.106 (talk) 22:19, 29 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Not Created by Mike 

message: I (and perhaps many other curious folks out there) would really, REALLY like to know if someone who is knows the dance really well can conceptualize a dance diagram on this article for the rest of us to learn and practice -- Anon 2005-12-20.
i believe i saw it once on videojug somewhere Abb615 (talk) 02:42, 20 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: How-To

message: During a 1975 Carol Burnett Show appearance with  his brothers, while they were performing their hit "Dancing Machine" Michael did a few dance steps which were very similar to his later moonwalks.   This indicates that he was doing the moonwalk long before his groundbreaking "Motown 25" performance of Billie Jean in 1983. User:TimothyHorrigan Timothy Horrigan 01:13, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Much Earlier Michael Jackson Moonwalk

message: I removed this reference, Bill Bailey seems to have been quite a tap dancer but it's not even close to a backslide and there are  other pieces of fact in the article showing that Michael Jackson was not first anyway.
:However, it is important to note that the earliest video for the backslide is that of Bill Bailey from 1955.
Arru 10:25, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill Bailey 

message: 2 years prior to Jackson, New Zealand band Split Enz had a video clip based on the Neil Finn hit One Step Ahead. The keyboardist Eddie Rayner performed the move, & though his feet were moving backwards in accordance to the technique, he actually slowly moves forwards. The video can be found here 
*I removed this because the article can't claim it's a moonwalk prior to Jackson and an incorrect one at the same time. IMO it's a pretty skilled front float. Arru 15:01, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  One Step Ahead 

message: Excised the following:
:A variation more closely resembling the modern-day moonwalk was invented by Bryan Layne, a cabinet installer from Mississippi, who called it the backslide.
Claims of "invention" must certainly be backed up by citations. Until then, it rests here. Arru 15:01, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bryan Layne 

message: Removed for lack of citation:
:Prior to that Graeme Garden had performed a similar type of walk on The Goodies . 
Arru 15:01, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Graeme Garden

message: where he debuted it during his famous "Billie Jean" routine, in which the black crowd was on their feet cheering.
What is the relevance of the crowd being black? Saintkevin 23:00, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: A full paragraph of non sequiturs in reply to Saintkevin that proves nothing. I know, I know, these mzungus are terrible, ain't they? I wish they would stick to rock'n'roll, jazz, and the other stuff they invented. Oops! But it doesn't even look like BET had anything to do with the Motown 25th Anniversary show, anyway. Anyone clicking the link about the show should be able to draw their own conclusions about the composition of the audience, if they are interested. Centrepull (talk) 09:19, 26 January 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Black crowd 

message: "The actual inventor, Solid Gold dancer "Cooley ASSNAB", taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk. This was evident at the extraordinary Motown 25 Concert, where he debuted it during his famous "Billie Jean" routine, in which the crowd was on their feet cheering."
What kind of crap is this? Nowhere else I've heard that "Cooley ASSNAB" be the "actual inventor" of Moonwalk. Also, how can the crowd's cheering for Michael Jackson make it "evident" that he was taugt it by Assnab? Someone please explain to me... Bab —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.238.26.77 (talk) 10:49, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cooley ASSNAB?? 

message: Okay, I get it, it's Michael Jackson's signature move. I don't think the article needs to mention that half a dozen times. Toscaesque 19:43, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cleanup 

message: I know there's already a photo for this article, but I have requested a new one because the current one is of very poor quality. Dar-Ape 03:12, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Photoreq

message: Almost the entire text of this article seems to be concerned with making absolutely sure that the reader knows that Michael Jackson did not invent the move. There are numerous examples of performances before Michael Jackson, all apparently under the heading of "origin". Shouldn't the origin just be concerned with the first time the move was performed or created? The article currently reads as if it has a chip on its shoulder about people thinking that MJ invented it, and just wants to reinforce over and over again that he didn't. The first section clearly explains that MJ didn't invent the move, and that should be sufficient. Yet the next sentence is simply "Jean-Louis Barrault mimed the Moon Walk before Michael Jackson." OK, we get it! Other people did it first!
I suggest we rename this article to "Moonwalk, Michael Jackson Did Not Invent The". --86.129.110.156 (talk) 10:02, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: "As Stern and Stern wrote in their 1992 Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Michael Jackson's signature moonwalk "became the single best-known bit of celebrity body language since the four Beatles."(ref)As quoted in Ben Schott, Schott's Mischellany Calendar 2009 (New York: Workman Publishing, 2008), November 22.(/ref)
because, I feel, that its an unnecessary regurgetation of the preceding sentence... and this might be better included on one of the articles on Michael Jackson. Wolfpeaceful (talk) 18:27, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

text: "In numerous interviews, Jackson has attributed the dance that he now is credited for, to ordinary children, whom he saw doing a variation of what we now call the moonwalk and he took it that step further to first perform it on Motown 25 where he wowed fans and is now a feature of perhaps his most popular single Billie Jean."
This also would be better suited for a Michael Jackson article. Wolfpeaceful (talk) 18:30, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  What a strange article 

message: The "Perform The Moonwalk" section needs rewriting.  I'd normally suggest deleting it, however since it is a popular staple dance move I think it should be changed from a "How To" format, to a descriptive nature of the dance moves instead.  "How To's" are generally unencyclopedic in nature. Wolfpeaceful (talk) 18:19, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  The How To 

message: While browsing the Michael Jackson article, I saw this video. Maybe a good fit for this article too? MaximusBrood (talk) 13:09, 27 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Add a video? 

message: I am returning the external links that some vandal managed to delete from this article.  It is almost as if some people just will not accept that Michael Jackson did not invent the moonwalk - he had lessons to learn it.  What's the big deal about that?  He was still the world's greatest artist and the king of pop.  This is an important part of the article so please leave it there.  Thank you.
:They were not removed by a vandal, they were removed by myself. I removed them because they are copyright violations and over-linking YouTube videos is generally considered spam. There is already a copyright-friendly example of the moonwalk within the article, but external linking to other, copyrighted material is a violation of Wikipedia policy. DKqwerty (talk) 11:52, 7 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  In that case you had better look at the references too because some of them contain links to videos  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.168.217.174 (talk) 20:45, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

text: This article is about the dance maneuver only and, though it discusses him, is not about Michael Jackson; a tribute to him is inappropriate. Further more, user-submitted videos of their moonwalking is not encyclopedic content. Wikipedia is not a link repository and does not link to content tangentially related to an articles subject. Please read WP:LINKSPAM for more information on the specific's of the policy. DKqwerty (talk) 03:05, 9 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: External Links

message: This line "David Bowie is probably the first rock musician to perform the move, however he remained stationary" makes no sense.  If the dancer remains stationary, the move cannot rightfully be classified as a Moonwalk, because by definition the dance requires mobility.  Also, since this states "probably" there really is no verifiability to this claim, despite the sourcing.  If it remains in the article, perhaps it shoud be reworded to state that Bowie "is probably the first rock musician to "immitate" the move..." Wolfpeaceful (talk) 17:21, 9 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Say huh 

message: I am not sure if I agree that the moonwalk is a breakdancing move.  I would have said that it is a bodypopping move.  I first saw it when Jeffrey Daniel introduced bodypopping to the UK in June 1982 when he danced his way through his group's (Shalamar's) "A Night To Remember" on Top Of The Pops.  What do others think?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.163.120.100 (talk) 18:45, 16 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Breakdancing or Bodypopping? 

message: it's more popping than breaking. in fact it's the opposite of breaking because it's so smooth
No, that's not accurate. The Moonwalk was around years before breakdancing came onto the scene.  The moonwalk (the modern version) started in around 1977-78 and breakdancing started in the early eighties. Until the 80's Hip Hop dancing did not include many moves on the ground except "The worm" and an occasional dance routine that required one or both dancers to be on the ground, but the introduction of Breakdancing incorporated with already established moves of Pop-Locking took dancing to the floor in a way that had never been seen before. Breakdancing incorporated moves from Brazillian marshal arts hence the floor moves of breakdancing, not the reverse. Eventually Pop-locking, the Electric Boogaloo, Breakdancing, moonwalking all merged together as time went on but they all started as separate dances. Because of the popularity of Hip Hop and video, East coast and west coast styles of dancing and dress began to merge into one main look and one main dance style. And at that time most street dancers were not the colorfully dressed, cartoonish, multi-racial, version portrayed by T.V. and movies.  Most street dancers at that time had a much less colorful yet still flamboyantly harder edge and a harder street-gang look. In fact LA street gangs were the major contributors to its poplularity and its spread and later on because poplular with a less hardened street dancers.  Many gang members of the time who had to relocate to different parts of the country due to police and rival gang threats took Pop-Locking moves with them before the trend became a national trend. Much of this history is lost because no one wants to glorify or encourage gang activity and neither do I but this is the truth of the matter. Even the poplular style of the pants hanging off the the butt comes from LA gangs who spent time in jail and where not allowed to where belts. The trend continued even when gang members where released into the street after serving their time. Eventually it and Pop locking became urban trends that continue till today.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Jparham3 (talk • contribs) 07:13, 15 October 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  i'd agree 

message: Nearly every reference to the moonwalk refers to Cab Calloway, the tap dancers of the 20's or Micheal Jackson. But all of these references have one thing in common; television.  All of these sources refer to history that can be seen on television. However, there is history that has not been recorded on television. Well after Cab Calloway and shortly before Micheal Jackson there were the Pop-Lockers of Los Angeles (not to be confused with Break Dancing).  Break Dancing didn't come on the scene until the 80's and merged with Pop-locking. Pop-locking started in the 70's and incorporated in the many dynamic and electrifying moves of Pop-Locking was the moonwalk.  Los Angeles and the neighborhood kids was the birthpace and the inventors of the modern version of the moonwalk.  This version invented by street kids and also done by Micheal Jackson included backwards, forwards, sideways, circular motion and even slow motion illusions. In 1978, the moonwalk was being done all over the streets and playgrounds of Los Angeles and was a very competitive dance. Many High schools hosted Pop-Locking and Moonwalking competitions.  With the onset of Hip Hop going from a local underground to a national mainstream musical art form with the hit song "Wrappers Delight", Pop-Locking and Moonwalking also became a national trend.  Micheal Jackson being a fan of any kind of dance picked the moonwalk and the famous "lean" up from street dancers who had already been doing it for years, as early as 1977.  Black audiences at the time were already familar with the dance but for mainstream white audiences it was their first exposure to the dance as well as the rest of the world.  By the time Micheal Jackson perfected his own moonwalk the trend was actually beginning to die out and still did as far as the urban environment was concerned.  During the 1983 BET awards, Micheal Jackson with his already staggering fame introduced the world to the dance and made it his own, causing mainstream and most audiences after that to mistakenly believe that he had created, invented or pioneered the dace with he had done neither. Although Micheal Jackson was and will always be the greatest entertainer ever he did not create, pioneer nor invent the moonwalk, but as he always did since he was a child he incorporated moves from other dancers into his own, such as James Brown, Fred Etair and more.  "Popularization" to the mainstream would be a more accurate description of Micheal Jacksons contribution to the dances current fame.  He simply learned it from the street kids and brought it to the masses. Micheal didn't just incorporate moves from famous people he also looked to the streets to what street kids where doing as well and incorporated those trends into his own unique dance style throughout his entire musical career. But for those who absolutely must have video evidence here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhxM0wZFUJA.   these are the soul train dancers in 1980 popin and moonwalking. But the dance was being done on the streets for "at least" 2 to 3 years before this video.  And here is another video even earlier 1979.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvtdUpodfiw.  So please get that New Zealand crap out of your heads.  Pop-Locking, Moonwalking, and the Electric Boogaloo was invented by African Americans right here in the good old USA. 
References: Me, Street Dancer 1978-1984  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jparham3 (talk • contribs) 05:29, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Missing History of the Moonwalk 

message: the opening line is a bad definitin, because moonwalking is not only done backwards.
I've know that since 1979 because I was doing it but thanks anyway for the English Lit lesson.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.211.16.50 (talk) 06:04, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  bad definition 

message: Video here (>6M views). Plenty of reliable, secondary sources. Examples: dailymail.co.uk and huffingtonpost.com. --82.170.113.123 (talk) 18:02, 12 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: By the way, it's not fake. He also made a how to video, available here. --82.170.113.123 (talk) 18:04, 12 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Super Moonwalk by Eric Nash (OneLoveCandyman) 

message: See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4JtRIECpG0 for example of what this refers to.
I am wondering if a moonrun article would be appropriate on its own, or if it might at least deserve a section on this page, due to the name being based on the moonwalk.
The specific guy in this YT vid was also covered on an episode of a TV series. I forget the exact title but I think it had something to do with 'brain tricks'. They ended up interviewing the guy and he explained how he did the maneuver. I am wondering if I someone could help locate the name of this show and the episode number to help use as a reference for covering moonrunning on Wikipedia. Ranze (talk) 01:58, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: moonRUN

message: from interview at "Diary of an Ex-Soul Train Dancer Presents: The One and Only Damita Jo Freeman"
Soultrain.com: You have been friends with Michael Jackson and the Jackson family for many years. You were one of the first people, if not the first, to teach Michael Jackson the Moonwalk, or as it was originally called, the Backslide. How did that come about?
Damita:  Michael Jackson was a good friend. Years ago, I watched a Marcel Marceau special on PBS and he was doing this mime routine called “Walking Against the Wind” in which imaginary wind would be pushing him and he appeared to be walking forward and backward at the same time. I was taken away by what I saw. So when I choreographed and appeared in Cher’s show at Caesar’s Palace, I did the routine, which would later become a street dance called the Backslide. Michael happened to be in the audience for this show. After the show, he came backstage and asked how I did that dance step. I showed it to him and then I told him I learned the move from watching Marcel Marceau. So after that, Michael began studying and watching Marcel Marceau.  Other people taught him the move also.   It would become his signature dance step, the Moonwalk, which he first did on the Motown 25 special. Michael always stated that he was not a creator of that dance step.
http://soultrain.com/2012/08/20/diary-of-an-ex-soul-train-dancer-presents-the-one-and-only-damita-jo-freeman-part-1/
ps WHY does Damita not have her own wikipedia page?! (see her on youtube on soultrain with james brown "super bad". incredible.) She was also apparently the first female locker - her dance partner on soultrain was Don Campbell the creator of locking. etc. Yesenadam (talk) 08:53, 18 December 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  History: the Damita Jo connection 

message: I have removed the section which says  It should be obvious, but apparently isn't to some, that the article is about the moonwalk-dance, not a walk on the moon. Moriori (talk) 21:28, 22 April 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Reason for removal

message: In Skinhead Moonstomp by Symarip there is a spoken line saying "Do the moonwalk". IS this the same move? // Liftarn (talk) 09:25, 21 March 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Symarip 

message: The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:
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thread_title:  A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion 

message: The lead says "Jackson has been credited as renaming the "backslide" to the moonwalk". Apart from the poor grammar, that statement is not supported by either of the three refs. More likely some PR/journo. Moriori (talk) 21:37, 6 June 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Not supported by refs 

message: The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:
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thread_title:  A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion