00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks from Michael Jackson's most
00:12iconic and best-known dance floor maneuvers.
00:1810. The Head Snap
00:24The king of pop didn't need his whole body to command the stage, just his neck.
00:30Michael Jackson's head roll move was often used as a rhythmic punctuation mark, usually
00:34during a sharp instrumental break or right before a massive vocal explosion.
00:46It wasn't just a simple isolation, it was a snappy, fluid movement that often set his
00:52signature curls flying.
00:53This move perfectly illustrated Jackson's staccato style.
00:57The ability to be incredibly sharp one second and buttery smooth the next.
01:08A closer look at live performances for songs like Dirty Diana or Beat It can clearly showcase
01:14how Jackson used this subtle motion to build tension.
01:17It's a masterclass in how to look effortlessly cool while maintaining total control over every muscle.
01:23I don't care what I say, I want to go too far, I'll feel everything if you make me a
01:30star.
01:319. The Hat Tip
01:39Great dancers and actors are frequently adept at incorporating everything around them for their art,
01:45and this definitely includes their wardrobe.
01:48Michael Jackson could frequently be seen tipping and tugging on his trademark fedora,
01:53a hat that became something of a visual shorthand for his stage persona.
01:57He could tip the brim low to create an air of mystery during Billie Jean,
02:01or flick it back to reveal his eyes during Smooth Criminal.
02:12The hat was basically an extension of his arms, snapping it into place with surgical precision.
02:17It wasn't about looking sharp, it was about the silhouette.
02:27The robot was a robot.
02:318. His Robot
02:41Michael Jackson certainly didn't invent the robot,
02:44but it could be argued that he perfected it and brought it to the global masses.
02:48His version of the robot appeared as early as the Jackson 5 era during tunes like Dancing
02:54Machine, where Michael's interpretation of the mechanical movement felt eerily precise.
03:04MJ's ability to isolate his joints, moving his elbow without his shoulder or his wrist
03:09without his arm, was light years ahead of his time.
03:12This move helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the popping and locking
03:17craze, and it remains a testament to his technical discipline.
03:27Number 7.
03:29The Hip Thrust
03:38The connection between hip movement, music, and sexuality is one that goes way back, and
03:44always seemed to be tethered around the reputation of early rock and roll.
03:48Michael Jackson's Hip Thrust took this controversial dance move to a whole new level of athleticism
03:53and timing.
04:02MJ usually synced them perfectly with a snare drum or a heavy bass hit, making the move less
04:08about provocation and more about the physical embodiment of the beat.
04:12It was sharp, aggressive, and undeniably charismatic on tunes like Bad or The Way You Make Me Feel.
04:18His hip thrusts became a move that was imitated by countless pop stars since, but nobody carries
04:24that specific blend of grit and grace quite like Mike.
04:27Just kiss my baby and tell me twice
04:31And you're the one for me
04:34Number 6.
04:35Kicking
04:36A Lot
04:37It's an immediately recognizable mental image, that silhouette of a man with one leg extended
04:42high into the air.
04:43You're the one for me
04:46Michael Jackson's onstage kicks frequently seemed to serve as his way of releasing the buildup
04:52of energy in a song.
04:54They were often executed at the end of a long dance sequence or a powerful chorus, kicks
04:59that were high, fast, and remarkably flexible.
05:08MJ would sometimes snap them straight to the front, while other times, it was a sweeping
05:13sidekick that transitioned into a spin.
05:16These physical exclamation points would also immediately melt into the next move, proving
05:21that Jackson's body was in a constant state of flow.
05:41We would almost certainly be remiss for not including Michael Jackson's scandalous reputation
05:47for grabbing his crotch while dancing on stage and in music videos.
05:50The move would become a definitive one during the bad era in particular, raising eyebrows
05:55and sparking parental concern in the late 80s.
05:58Jackson famously defended the move as a purely subconscious reaction to the music, explaining
06:03that when he was in the zone and responding to the rhythm.
06:06It's the music that compels me to do it.
06:09It's not saying I'm getting ready to grab down there and it's not a great place.
06:11You don't think about it, it just happens.
06:14Sometime I'll look back at the footage and I'll go, and I'll go, did I do that?
06:17It became a massive cultural phenomenon, usually being paired with a sharp pelvic thrust and
06:23some sort of theatrical flair or vocalization.
06:43A lot of dancers can spin, but the multiple 360-degree spins of Michael Jackson were in a league of
06:50their own.
06:50MJ didn't just turn, he became a blur as his almost manic-looking revolutions came to a dead stop instantly.
06:58Jackson could execute four, five or even six rotations with dizzying speed while his head stood relatively level.
07:16This technique, known as spotting, was taken to the extreme during MJ's spins, basically serving as the visual equivalent of
07:24a drumroll,
07:25building massive anticipation before the song's next big beat drops.
07:46It was a move that seemed to defy all of the laws of physics.
07:50A toe stand that wound up becoming one of the ultimate how did he do that moment of Michael Jackson's
07:55career.
07:55Those familiar with classical ballet would probably know very well how MJ borrowed his toe stands from the on points
08:02from that world,
08:03with both iterations requiring incredible calf strength and balance.
08:07Point work is not just up and down, it's pushing off the floor, it's shaping the shoes, it's using the
08:13strength in your metatarsals.
08:14The king of pop would frequently use his toe stand as the button at the end of a frantic dance
08:20break or series of spins,
08:21rising onto the very tips of his loafers and holding that position for several seconds.
08:26One particularly memorable instance of MJ doing this move was at the Motown 25 celebration, leaving the audience awestruck.
08:45The world was left scratching its head after the premiere of Michael Jackson's video for Smooth Criminal back in 1988.
08:51This was naturally after MJ debuted the anti-gravity lean.
09:03Michael and his dancers would lean forward at a 45 degree angle.
09:07Meanwhile, the group would continue keeping their bodies straight as a board throughout it all,
09:12far past the point where a person should naturally fall over.
09:15So how could Michael lean twice as far as everybody else?
09:18Well, it turns out that he had some help.
09:21This effect may have originally been achieved via wires on the Smooth Criminal set,
09:25but Jackson would actually patent a special shoe and peg system so he could perform it live on stage during
09:31the Dangerous and History tours.
09:33The anti-gravity lean required immense core and leg strength to pull off convincingly, even with the mechanical help.
09:39Trained dancers, without the shoes, can only bend at about 30 degrees.
09:45That's impressive.
09:46But with the shoes, they need to make it 15 degrees farther all while looking fly and not screaming in
09:51agony.
09:52I could probably make it to about 5 degrees.
09:56So this move is seriously superhuman.
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10:25Number 1. The Moonwalk.
10:27Okay, just show me slow motion. Could you show me slow motion?
10:30Okay.
10:31Wait.
10:35It's like, it's pushing and…
10:38The Moonwalk was nothing less than a global phenomenon after Michael Jackson debuted his take on the backslide he learned
10:45from folks like Garen Kasper Candidate or Jeffrey Daniel.
10:48MJ blew the roof off the aforementioned Motown 25 special, boggling minds and changing the phase of dance almost overnight.
11:05Jackson's Moonwalk serves as the pinnacle of his liquid style of movement, a thing of beauty that lends the illusion
11:12of walking forward while gliding backward.
11:14It's the absolute ultimate Michael Jackson moment that helped cement his status as the unrivaled king of pop.
11:29What's your favorite MJ dance move? Let us know in the comments.
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