Michael Jackson combined elements of hip hop, disco, and popularized the use of the ‘robot’ in his dances. His music videos were unique for their storytelling, which was unheard of for the time. His many dances and unique style influenced the dance world along with his music by turning towards fast, isolated movements that kids everywhere attempted to emulate.
He was a trained dancer who was known for his quick isolations that had lots of control. These qualities along with his personal drive for perfection, made the Moonwalk a signature dance. Combining a popular genre of music with aspects of dance from all parts of the country helped to destigmatize Black pop culture to a public audience in a way that no one could do without the level of fame that he had.
He is most well known for:
The Moonwalk - forward stepping dance that makes the dancer appear to float backwards
The Robot - jerky, quick, controlled movement that make the dancer look like a robot
The Lean - defying gravity accomplished by locking special shoes into a piece on the stage
He was even performing the robot in the 70's with the Jackson 5. He first performed the moonwalk in 1983 to wide fame. Dance moves that were previously only known among Black communities were now household moves thanks to Jackson's influence on popular culture. He also touched on racial issues in many of his songs such as Thriller, Black and White, and They Don't Care About Us, the last of which was an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement in the mid 2010's and again in 2020.
By John and Klaus