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zaibiechu favorited a video
(8 months ago)
ORIGINS OF THE MOONWALK
Dancers (in alphabetical order):
Fred Astaire, Bill Bailey, Buck and Bubbles, Cab Calloway, Clark Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr.,...
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ORIGINS OF THE MOONWALK
Dancers (in alphabetical order):
Fred Astaire, Bill Bailey, Buck and Bubbles, Cab Calloway, Clark Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr., Daniel L. Haynes, Rubberneck Holmes, Patterson and Jackson, Eleanor Powell, Bill Robinson, Three Chefs (only the feet), Tip Tap and Toe (feat. Ray Winfield), Earl Snakehips Tucker
Video edited by CFJ
My second Michael Jackson related video. Since the first one "Fred Astaire in Smooth Criminal" seems quite well-received, I decided to make another one. This time the theme is "who devised the moonwalk?".
As some people already know, a dance move called the moonwalk (a.k.a. backslide) had been existed before it became the "moonwalk". The video features the ancient moonwalkers and other greats who possibly influenced MJ's style of dancing.
The most well-known dancer as the "orignal moonwalker" should be Bill Bailey who performed it in the film Showtime At The Apollo (1955), which was also featured in the movie Tap (1989). But actually Bill Bailey, pupil of Bill Robinson, performed the very same step as early as 1943 in the movie Cabin In The Sky, which you can see here as well as the 1955 film.
The various scenes used in the video are from 1929 to 1955 (except Sammy Davis Jr. from '65 and '67). The oldest one is from Hallelujah, featuring Daniel L. Haynes as a minister pantomiming a train at a prayer meeting. I was totally amazed by his movement when I first saw that movie.
The most influential dancer on MJ's dancing is no doubt James Brown, but you can also trace the roots and origins of his style to those greats in the first half of the 20th century.
So, the question - "who devised the moonwalk?".
My answer is "nobody". Or all the great imaginative dancers, including MJ, who made great efforts to move foward (should I say "backward" in this case?). I think the moonwalk is not a thing someone suddenly came up with one day. There must have been so many great unknown dancers other than the ones who were lucky to be recorded... In other words, Rome was not built in a day.
Amazed by the dancers in the video?
But there were many other greats. You must see The Nicholas Brothers, The Berry Brothers, The Four Step Brothers, Pops & Louis...etc, etc. If you like this vid, you better check out The Nicholas Bros in Down Argentine Way (1940) on my channel. Then, watch Stormy Weather (1943). YOU HAVEN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET.
More about the featured films and dancers in this video:
http://strongerthanparadise.blog122.f...
The other two of my MJ trilogy videos:
Fred Astaire in Smooth Criminal (HQ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKanPs...
Fred Astaire in Smooth Criminal (LQ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gB0UN...
West Side Story (Somebody Call Michael mix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIWTrF...
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zaibiechu favorited a video
(8 months ago)
FRED ASTAIRE in SMOOTH CRIMINAL
Starring Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron
Choreographed by Michael Kidd
'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson
Vi...
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FRED ASTAIRE in SMOOTH CRIMINAL
Starring Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron
Choreographed by Michael Kidd
'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson
Video edited by CFJ
I love both Astaire and Michael Jackson. I want young people to know Astaire stuff, that is why I made this. The video features scenes from the Girl Hunt ballet in The Band Wagon (1953) starring Astaire and Cyd Charisse (those supreme legs!! The most perfect body a woman could have. So sensual, so elegant), to which MJ gave homage in his Smooth Criminal vid (also in a performance of Get Happy on the Jacksons show in the 70s as well as You Rock My World in 2001), and, as an intro, a sequence from Daddy Long Legs (1955) featuring Leslie Caron (in motion pictures, you mustn't put a coin into a jukebox in an ordinary way!).
My initial idea was using also Yolanda And The Thief (1945) where Astaire appeared with the same costume, a white suit, hat and a blue shirt, but I eventually omitted it.
Michael Kidd worked with Janet in the Alright vid in 1990, featuring Cyd Charisse (in the red dress!), the Nicholas Brothers and Cab Calloway.
If you want to see Astaire at the top of his game, watch his 30s and early 40s films.
More about Astaire's influence on MJ:
http://strongerthanparadise.blog122.f...
About films used in Smooth Criminal 2009 (This Is It, Noir version):
http://strongerthanparadise.blog122.f...
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UPDATE (6.28.2009)
I have uploaded a higher quality version of this video:
Fred Astaire in Smooth Criminal (HQ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKanPs...
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The other two of my MJ trilogy videos:
Origins of the Moonwalk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxZcLW...
West Side Story (Somebody Call Michael mix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIWTrF...
Fred Astaire + Robert Palmer - Let's Face The Music And Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWCijZ...
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![Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]](http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/rpB2dHNQpHw/default.jpg "Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]")
