The original moonwalkers

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Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/12/27/the-original-moonwalkers.html

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Neat. I already knew he was emulating Bob Fosse, and that someone else did the Moonwalk first. I don’t think anyone ever claimed he was the very first. But he took what came before and turned it to 11.

Also, that announcer in the beginning is the same guy in the beginning of this video.

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Back in the 80s I knew a young woman who was an excellent tap dancer. The sad part is that no young people were impressed by tap dancers in the 80s. She could entertain her grandparents, but that’s about it.

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I was. I’d loved to have learn it. But now its too late.

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Naturally he didn’t invent it, it’s well known. The innovation MJ brought to it was that it was flawlessly executed to great music along with other incredible moves.

I’m low key Tap dance and jazz dance aficionado and MJ owes a lot to many pioneers before him. But he truly owned that move like no one else.

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I don’t know much about tap, but I’ve always been fascinated. Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr are amazing to watch

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Jackson studied Fosse, Kelly and Astaire assiduously, along with James Brown and Jackie Wilson; then he blended their styles all together.

FWIW, Spike Lee’s doc about MJ’s transition from a kid star to a solo act is well worth watching.

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Woah. Everything is a remix. Originality is so safe and boring.

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I suggest you look up the Nicholas brothers who were doing it well in advance of '55

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Yep; Mj studied them too.


All sensationalism aside, he was actually an exceptional student and master of the art of dancing.

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A simpler time. Today there would be some troll company suing MJ for copying dance moves.

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I was looking at old cartoons today and found this (intro is live action.) More Cab doing his thing. I’m wondering if the cartoon version of him is one of those things where the animators draw over the live action footage, too.

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