6

According to Wikipedia, the Moonwalk dance, although popularized by Michael Jackson, dates back at least as far as the 1930's. Singer Cab Calloway is cited as being familiar with it back then, but there's no indication he actually invented it himself. So who did invent the Moonwalk?

Improve this question
1

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

There is no known inventor of the moonwalk. The moonwalk is a shuffle-step performed backwards and repeatedly, to simulate one walking back.

Shuffle-steps have always been one of the key pieces of African-American dance, and were notably used in the cakewalk, a dance that developed on southern platations in the 1800s following the end of slavery. Being able to perform the shuffle-step in all directions is key for the cakewalk.

The notion of slipping so that one slides backwards, however, has to do with polished dancefloors. The innovation of the cakewalk being performed on polished dancefloors allowed movement that wouldn't betray the footwork. This development led to many of the animal dances (turkey-trot, foxtrot, bunnyhug, grizzly bear) that were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century.

Improve this answer
2
  • +1 This is a good answer :) I'm going to hold off on accepting it to see if we get others. However, I do have a question. What video I've been able to find of the cakewalk doesn't look AT ALL like the moonwalk. Do you have a reason to think there's a straight line connection?
    – Chris Sunami
    Commented Oct 24, 2017 at 17:04
  • Cakewalks receded as more black dancers had access to polished dancefloors. So cakewalks had the shuffle-step and as new dances replaced it, you see more experimentation with shuffle-steps: animal dances, charleston, lindy hop, etc.~~~~ I want to see other answers first too.
    – Phillip Siebold
    Commented Oct 24, 2017 at 20:34
0

Jeffery Daniels invented it and taught it to Michael Jackson

Improve this answer
2
  • 4
    do you have a source for that ?
    – Angst
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 17:58
  • 1
    Daniels is credited for having taught it to MJ, but whether he invented it is another question.
    – PiedPiper
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 22:47

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.