Hello!
My name is Corey Vidal
and in this video I am going to teach you how to dance like Michael Jackson.
I'm going to show you the moonwalk and a series of other very signature Michael Jackson moves
that he tends to use in most of his videos
and then at the end of the video, I'm going to show you a little combo
which kind of ties together a few of the moves
which you can then use to dance to any of your favourite Michael Jackson songs.
Now, to prevent your from watching any of the parts of this video that you don't really want to learn,
I'm going to put an annotation in the top right corner there
and it's going to show the times in this video where I teach those moves.
So if you want to, you can click along the YouTube timeline below us
and just jump to whatever time and whatever move it is you want to see.
So with that in mind, I think we should go ahead and get started!
Alright, so the move I'm going to teach you first is the move that
everybody's watching this video for anyways
and that's how to do the moonwalk
but I'm going to divide it up into two parts.
Part 1 is going to be how to do the moonwalk on the spot, not moving
and Part 2 is going to be how to do the moonwalk moving backwards travelling across the floor.
The reason I'm teaching it to you this way is
because you can figure out the moonwalk, you can kind of
learn the theory, while not moving
to kind of perfect what your body's doing and the way you're doing it
whereas when you're moving backwards, you can more focus on
the entertainment and the performance of it.
So, let me start off by explaining two things.
1: at no point do either foot (does either feet?) leave the ground
both feet are touching the floor at all times
and 2: one foot is always up
the other foot is always down.
Now, you're going to have to think about this very carefully
the weight and balance of your body is going to be transferring between both legs as you move
but the weight is going to be the complete opposite of what you'd expect.
For example, when I'm standing here naturally
my body puts all of my weight on my flat foot which is currently my left leg
because that's the most comfortable to stand on.
You need to mentally decide to put all of your weight on the foot that's
pointing and push yourself into the ground with that foot.
The reason that is, is because it's the point of foot that doesn't move,
it's the flat foot that slides backwards.
Then you switch your feet, but we'll get into that later.
So, one foot is pointed, all of your weight is on it,
that lets you move the flat foot, and while doing the moonwalk on the spot
what you want to do is slide the foot back and then as you're doing it,
slowly lower this foot, slowly bring it flat.
So you're here, this is sliding, and this slowly goes lower and lower and lower
until it's flat, and you're going to want to flatten both of them
when you're about a step apart.
So something like that.
So then what you do is after you have flattened both feet,
you pick up your back foot, bring it back up again to where you are, put it down.
When you put it down, don't put flat, put it at a point.
So to show you:
slide
step
With the point:
slide here.
And the reason you go into the point is because with the point
you are now going to slide this flat foot,
your feet have switched, put all of your weight on your left leg,
and you slide this one back. Point.
Here, here, here
it's the moonwalk on the spot.
So, practise that.
I don't want to over-explain it.
I mean, it's simple.
You're going to learn more as we learn doing the moonwalk backwards.
But seriously, practise this for a while so you can do it
and you'll see this foot kind of kicks up and it's very soft,
there's not a lot of sharp movements, it's very fluid
and it actually looks best if you're looking straight ahead.
Alright, so now that you've learned how to do the moonwalk on the spot,
I'm going to teach you how to do the moonwalk while travelling.
You have to watch this previous video to know what's going on here.
So you put your weight on the point of foot,
slide the other foot back, but before, when we were doing the moonwalk on the spot
this foot was slowly lowering while this foot went back
now you're not going to do that.
Now it needs to be less fluid and more of a snap.
Let me show you what I mean.
This is pointed, this goes back,
this is still pointed, then: snap.
And now, all of your weight needs to be on that back pointed foot
which is very hard and very uncomfortable.
But, you're going to put your weight here, and you're going to slide this foot back.
So then your foot, you're a step behind
swap them again.
Flat foot slides back,
and then swap, flat foot slides back.
Now I'm falling as I do this because you're not supposed to do the moonwalk that slow.
When you're actually doing it, the momentum is going to
prevent you from falling because your momentum's going to be pushing you backwards.
So if you come here and you have a pointed foot,
you go slide snap, slide snap, slide snap,
snap, snap, snap.
As you can see, my moonwalk doesn't look very good.
Why is that? How do you make the moonwalk better?
Well, you have to remember a few things.
One is that Michael Jackson is the king of pop
and one of the best entertainers and dancers of all time.
He spent his entire career perfecting his moonwalk
on top of that, there is money being poured into him,
the shoes he is wearing, the stage he is on,
is all optimized for dancing and performing.
I am on a concrete floor in my parents' basement
because I am super cool like that.
So, how do you make your moonwalk look better?
Well, there is a
"cheaters" moonwalk.
I don't know what the technical term is, but that's what I call it
and it's actually the moonwalk that I normally do
anytime I'm dancing or performing.
Instead of going all the way onto the point
and trying to put all of your weight on there
Michael Jackson's wearing a very certain type of penny loafer which
allows him to do that very easily.
This is hard, so instead of going on the point
go on the ball of your foot.
So you're kind of bending your toes backwards
but you're putting your toes and that fleshy part of your foot all the way on the ground.
You only go up that high and then you slide this foot
and then switch to the other ball of the foot
slide, switch, slide, switch.
Now, it doesn't look as good.
but it's really the only thing you're going to be able to pull off
and if you've ever seen anybody, usually other than Michael Jackson
and very, very, very highly trained professionals
that is actually what they're doing.
It is quite a bit easier to go like this
That's your moonwalk.
The rest of your body, your arms, your back, your head.
It's best if you're looking straight ahead.
Your hands are kind of in a circular walking motion
and I know nobody really walks like this,
but it does kind of help with the illusion.
So if you're here
and it helps a little bit
I mean, let your arms swing naturally anyways,
just forward and back, but a little bit like a train.
I know when Michael Jackson does it he is very rigid in a
fluid way. Which makes no sense but he's Michael Jackson, he's amazing.
He kind of chugs his head out and in
I can't really explain it any better then that, go watch a video of Michael Jackson.
But, the head here, it's kind of in the shoulders.
It's going to be almost impossible to explain. Like I said, go watch a video of him.
He is way better than me.
Bu that is the basics of how to do a moonwalk.
Alright so we learned how to do the moonwalk on the spot and we learned how to do the moonwalk while travelling backwards,
now we are going to learn the most complicated and advanced moonwalk.
And that's how to do the moonwalk sideways. Michael Jackson has done this from time to time
but it was actually Usher who started throwing it in all of his music videos
and he makes it look really good, although he's doing it a little bit differently.
Now you are traveling quite a bit of distance and I tend to do it going right.
I do something else going left, I'm gonna kind of show you both of them but they're actually two
completely different things because I have never been able to mentally figure out how to do it the other way around.
Anyways, it's the same idea: you always, always, always
put your weight on a pointed foot.
You always, always, always slide your flat foot.
Now, doing it sideways, kind of like the moonwalk on the spot, this foot slowly lowered
as this went back, instead of going back do the same thing but stand facing forward.
Pointed foot you're gonna push the foot to the side, kind of like that.
As you get there you want to bring this foot up to a point and because you're going
sideways this foot can't go back so you actually drag this foot
in, which is weird and you kind of have to pull yourself with this foot
and then you get to about there and then you could swap them, and then again
you kind of push this foot around and to the side
over and down and then you pop it and you pull it in.
And yes, I'm sure this looks ridiculous but when you do it fast I promise it looks cool.
It's something along the lines of this.
Now, with this you what to see a lot
more knee popping, your knees are kind of go out in, out in, as you're doing it.
Pay attention to the knees here.
They are kind of what is making it happen.
And then Michael Jackson is really good with this,
as the feet are going, don't forget about the rest of your body.
Your shoulders are kind of getting into it, your arms are doing something.
This actually looks better when it's not as fluid or if the legs are fluid but the
upper body is a bit more robotic and jerky. That is how Michael Jackson does it.
You know, kind of heavy arms here and he'll do it
fast and pop his chest, etcetera, etcetera.
Go watch Usher's "You've Got It Bad" music video and then Michael Jackson's one hour "Ghost" short film.
Going the other way, it is somewhat similar. I push the foot in and pull it in
but I've...it is slightly different I guess.
Sliding the foot out, pulling it in, I just kind of pull it weird and
twist it the other way, but I'm just going to show you going right here.
Don't forget the shoulders and the arms.
Going left, somewhat the same thing.
So, yeah. Sideways, on the spot, moving backwards.
There is really no such thing as a forward moonwalk.
You could take the theory, but it's not gonna bring you anywhere.
That's pretty much all you need. Just remember to put all your weight on your pointed foot.
It's basically all you need to know, good luck.
Alright, so now that we've learned the three different styles of moonwalk,
now we're gonna do something completely different.
We're going to do the very signature Michael Jackson kick.
I'm gonna teach this to you, step back a bit here.
It's kind of one of those moves...that he does. It's a kick.
I don't know any other technical term for it. But when he does it
it's very fast, very sharp, really good posture, and then he'll usually
do something rather dramatic and angled with his hands.
Let me show it to you one step at a time.
The foot that kicks is going to be, aside from the fact that it's sharp, very wobbly.
Which makes absolutely no sense. But as you're kicking, it's always with the right leg.
Your right knee goes left. As you do so, your foot goes right so you're making kind of this weird zigzag
that requires you to use your hip to push your knee out and then your foot the other way.
So it goes there and then swaps places.
So the knee goes right and the foot goes left so you're kind of going back there.
So as it kicks, as it goes up: there, there, there, down.
But he does it very fast, very straight on.
When it goes here, here
when he's on the second one, he's going left right, he kicks that in really hard.
Imagine a soccer ball coming down and you're kind of kicking it up in the air.
Go that, and then as he brings it down
this foot that pushes into the ground you have so much momentum and
energy being expelled downwards that it tends to push the other leg a bit
so I'll wiggle that leg like that.
When this lands: totally straight leg. Not a bent knee.
So there, and then this will pop up. As he does it I know in the "Thriller" music video
his hand is like there. In other music videos, could be there. Whatever.
Usually something with very straight arms.
I feel a bit silly doing this but it's Michael Jackson's move.
In the vein of silliness he has also done this move while
twisting to the side and grabbing his crotch,
with these two fingers here, he will hold it here and then do a
sexually suggestive dance move, which in the early 90's was
you know, very racy, but nowadays not as much.
So here, hand on the crotch if you want to.
One other thing is a head snap. Very typical Michael Jackson move to do.
Very, very sharp; here; crotch; head,
either straight on or to the side.
I feel ridiculous and you will probably feel ridiculous practising this, but that is how it goes.
So there you go. I hope you enjoy that.
Alright, let's take a crack at seeing if
we can learn to spin or turn the way Michael Jackson does.
Now whether you are a dancer or not, what you need to know is that there's nobody
on the face of the planet who turns like Michael Jackson and if you ever take
dance lessons, they will teach you how to turn with preparations and
arms and good poster and where to put your legs and where to point your feet
and Michael Jackson just doesn't do any of that.
So with that in mind Michael Jackson always spins
both feet flat on the ground together, which is the complete opposite
of what they teach you in any type of dance school.
So to prepare for a turn, you always want to spread your legs out at arms length
and wind your body in the opposite direction of the direction of the direction you want to go.
So you bend down and that way when you snap up you can spin the other way
because if you're standing straight and just start to turn, you're not have very much momentum.
Being Michael Jackson, he turns five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times in a circle.
In my entire life I've managed to do three perfectly, only a few times,
because he's awesome and I am not as much.
That being said, flat turn you step spin.
Spin your feet together.
I can't give you too much more tips on spinning and turning without actual theory of ballet and jazz.
If you're very interested in this, I mean, go sign up for
dance lessons and stop watching free Youtube videos.
I like turning clock wise it's just a personal preference of mine
but remember to keep your feet flat.
The hardest part is stoping the turn facing
the way that you started because you have to kind of keep track of your momentum
and then to stop you really, you kind of push yourself deep into the ground.
You want your legs totally straight when you're spinning and then kind of bend them as a way of
getting out of it, there and I kind of float that one out.
But, that is how he turns and then he usually ends a turn
by using the turn to go into a move, which is very impressive.
But practice it and please don't
wreck anything around you or hurt yourself.
If you are practising this anywhere where you might hit something I recommend you be very careful.
Practice a lot and good luck!
Alright, so the next move I'm gonna show is the lean that Michael Jackson
first did in his music video for smooth criminal.
He is dancing with a bunch of other guys and they
stomp their feet together and lean and go all the way down and then come back up.
Now obviously when they shot the music video, if you've ever seen it, he's on
strings and he is totally lowing himself. But there is a way to somewhat
do the move without the strings or special shoes that you would actually need.
Obviously it doesn't look nearly as cool but it is something that is rather
fun to perfect and if done right it can actually look like a somewhat cool optical illusion.
So if you're standing straight on your legs are shoulder width apart.
You want to put your weight on the balls of your foot,
the back part of your feet here, and you're going to kind of pick yourself up and then
swivel yourself to the right. Both feet.
So from straight on, here to the side.
You don't wanna go all the way to the side, kind of a forty-five
degree angle, like to a corner. So you're here, and you
want to make it seem like both of your legs are totally straight but they're actually not.
It's usually the back leg that's totally straight and
the front leg that's going to bend a little bit. But the less you can bend it the better it's going to look.
And what you want to do is just lean without falling over.
As you do it, try to make it look like your back is very straight,
this leg is very straight, but at the same time
cheat as much as possible to lean as far as you can without making it obvious
that you're just kind of bending over. Now what creates the illusion
is not the legs and it's not the lean. It's actually your arm.
If my left leg is totally straight and I'm bending over top of my right,
keep attention to what your left arm is doing because
as you go down you want to slowly bring this arm up
as if it's attached by some kind of string, so the two are connected.
So as you go down it's kind of, kind of pushing yourself.
So when you're here, try to feel a bit robotic
and a bit popping and locking about it.
So you're here kind of go to the side and then down.
When you come back up, go back on the backs of your heels,
swivel over to the other side and then do it again.
You have to learn how to do it with both legs. Now this leg is straight,
this leg is bent, and this arm's going to come up...kind of like that.
And you can kind of swivel, you can go there.
And it is a cool thing to do if you're not even being Michael Jackson-esque.
It takes a lot of practice and I'm actually not the best at it
but I've seen some people do it very effectively and it looks super, super cool.
And one other thing to remember: the closer your feet are together,
the less people can tell you're bending that leg but the closer your feet are together,
the better of a chance you have of loosing your balance and falling over.
So it's all about kind of picking a perfect balance between actually being able to
do it and getting as low as you can verses, you know, falling over.
So yeah. Practice it a lot and good luck!
Alright, the last move I'm gonna teach you is the toe balance and this a move that Michael Jackson
most of the time, but not always, will do out of
doing a spin that I taught earlier in this video.
So if you're spinning blahblahblah let's say I did a spin, what he will do is
jump from flat feet, feet together shoulder width apart,
onto the very tips of his toes. Onto, kind of like the moonwalk,
both legs here, but while being here he bends
down very low, pops his knees up and actually somewhat leans back.
Then takes his hands out, puts them right in front of them here.
Very awkward, very sharp and then hands, kind of like jazz hands,
which I know we all love.
So, from here jump up onto the feet and then hands.
Head straight forward like that. Sometimes he will do it really high, kind of
like that but it looks weird and maybe it's just him
doing it wrong, I don't know. If you go, jump into it and there is a bit of a
hop so you will slightly get a little bit of air and hop
into it and he can get pretty low sometimes too.
Doing this move he will hold it and pause and freeze and just pop
and then hop back out of it. You can hop out of this into
the moonwalk and you could go into this move from a spin so if he's here
and spins lalalala boom into the spin.
Yeah.
Alright, now that you know a bunch of different Michael Jackson moves
it is time to put them all together into a little combo which you can then
do to pretty much any Michael Jackson song because pretty much all of them are really
awesome to dance to. So what you're going to do is, you're going to take the kick from earlier in the video.
Kick here; snap the leg down; go to the side;
hand on the crotch here, very Michael Jackson pose.
You're going to use your momentum of this foot here, this foot back,
to go into a spin. Make sure you stop first, there is the stop
and the hold and then spin. It is the opposite of the
way I personally like to spin and the way I showed earlier in the video but it is how he does it.
Kick; spin here, you do a full rotation
and then a little bit so you're facing here and then you're go into a moonwalk.
Kick; here; here; moonwalk;
back, back, back full effort into it.
From the moonwalk: step; another spin, you're gonna do a full rotation
and a half and then you are going to jump out of the spin
into the little pose that he does with the toes
and the hand, boom, and from there: do your own thing.
This is a combo that Michael Jackson very typically does.
Here, kick, crotch, spin, moon walk, spin again,
all the way around and boom into the hands.
Here is a clip of me doing it. Go easy, I'm insecure.
[coughs] Um...so hey, pretend there's music
going and then pretend it looks, you know, ten times
better then this and it should be something along the lines of...
Yeah those can't do, teach, so
here we go.
That's a dance, I mean, kind of. It has a lot of
all very tricky and talented moves.
But if you want to, post a video response
of yourself trying the same combo. Yeah? Huh? Video responses?
Yeah, make it happen please.
Alright, so I think I'm about done embarrassing myself for your amusement.
I hope you found this video somewhat educational
if not, at least a little bit entertaining.
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Um...so...
bye.
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