On May 16, 1983, pop star Michael Jackson did the moonwalk on television for the very first time. For those who might be too young to remember, that particular dance move became the biggest craze of the 1980s. If you see it, you’ll recognize it: The move involves smoothly sliding backwards, as if gravity doesn’t exist. And Jackson made it look easy. (Spoiler: It’s a lot harder to do than I personally thought it would be.)
The moonwalk came to life during Motown’s 25th anniversary TV special back in 1983. Jackson whipped the dance out during a performance of “Billie Jean” and “Beat It”. The crowd can be heard losing their minds when he does it.
Videos by American Songwriter
However, it is worth noting that Jackson did not invent the moonwalk. In reality, one Jeffrey Daniel performed the move on Soul Train back in 1979, and plenty of dancers before him performed the move as well. In fact, Daniel was sought out to teach the move to Jackson ahead of his performance on the Motown special, though he was unavailable. Jackson would later say in his autobiography that Bobby Brown of New Edition helped him learn the move, among others.
Daniel originally called it “the backslide,” and that was the term used by contemporary street dancers of the time. The move itself has origins as early as the 1930s.
The Motown special performance was also the first time that Jackson performed “Billie Jean” live, and it was also the first time he wore that single, sparkly glove on stage. A lot of firsts came from that performance.
The Moonwalk Quickly Became One of the Most Recognizable Dances in Popular Culture
After debuting his signature move on May 16, 1983, Michael Jackson would go on to perform the move during live concerts and his tours. It became a big part of his brand. Jackson’s autobiography was titled Moonwalk, and his 1988 film was titled Moonwalker.
The dance move would go on to impact popular culture for decades. Hockey player Alexei Kovalev would whip out the move after scoring a goal. One of Britney Spears’ dancers performed the moonwalk in the video for “Oops!… I Did It Again”. Musicians like Jason Derulo and Alessia Cara, plus bands like BTS and Puscifer, have also incorporated the moonwalk into their performances.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.