Moonwalk (dance)

The Moonwalk (English " moonwalk " ) is a dance step in which the leg movements simulate running forward while the person carrying is actually moving backwards.

As far as can be reconstructed, are the roots of moonwalks in Mambo Dance. The moonwalk and precursors thereof (without the backward movement, as illusionistic gear) could be seen already in the 1940s in the film. These are, above all, the movie Stormy Weather, where Cab Calloway and Fats Waller show this dance step, A cottage in the sky, also from 1943, here is in minutes 50 to 52 of the film the moonwalk to see, as well as Children of Paradise by 1945, in the vorführte him Jean-Louis Barrault. A similar exercise in style led the French mime Jean- Gaspard Deburau before the 18th century. The dance group The Lockers showed in their performances in American Musiksendund Soul Train their backslide mentioned steps.

The actual invention in the form known today comes from the alleged break-dance scene of the early 1980s. The general public was the moonwalk but only famous by Michael Jackson, the backslide, a modification of the moonwalks, 1983 at the 25th anniversary of Motown record company showed a performance of his song Billie Jean, after he had seen this before in breakdancers in a similar form and then continue vorführte during his performances. The backslide differs from the moonwalk is that you do not move in a circle but a straight line. The " Moonwalk " was. Through this stage shows to Jackson's signature move, which remained connected as a "trademark" of his person

" The moonwalk comes from these wonderful children, the young people who live in the ghettos, in the city that are brilliant and just have this natural talent for dancing. All these new steps, such as the Running Man who develop these dances. I did the moonwalk just evolved a little. "

More by Jackson became known dance steps are the Sidewalk and Lean.

The Gelbhosenpipra, a Central American Schnurr bird can give the impression of being able to go backwards to move it without the legs. The result is reminiscent of the moonwalk.