MICHAEL JACKSON'S DANCE INFLUENCES
- A threaded article 🧵

One of the most categorically incorrect assumption is that Michael “stole” his dance moves from white artists. This is absurd when you consider Michael’s consistent acknowledgment of all dance legends that he was inspired by particular focus on black dance legends as highly influential. The focus here is on the most common legends MJ has recognized throughout his career.

Michael Jackson studied, respected, and was inspired by dance legends. affirming “study the greats and become greater. He refined his own signature style over 40 years — and became GREATER. This isn’t a slant towards his predecessors, any good teacher would tell you that — the art of mentorship comprises building students’ confidence, skills, freedom, and developing their critical thinking enough so they cultivate their own distinctive style and path.

I wish more ppl listened to Michael Jackson’s lyrics. They’d understand his humanity more.

He leveraged his massive platform for social awareness but he also gave insight to who he was through his songwriting -

A thread 🪡 🧵 The world is consistently in a mental health crisis, dismissive attitudes towards mental health needs for ppl esp. underserved populations.
Michael wrote from the frame of internal isolation reference, battle with melancholia, depression, despair.

This is the global issue no one wants to talk about but Michael did, he wrote and composed Stranger in Moscow, the most prolific and vulnerable work of his career

Understand Lupus - a thread 🧵 🪡

It is often called an "invisible disease" bc symptoms are not always obvious

Here you can see signature flare up on Michael Jackson - butterfly shaped facial rash
You also see him living with lupus when you can’t tell he’s dealing with it 🥺
Disclaimer.
This thread isn’t diagnostic. It’s utility of clinical evidence based practice resources designed to help ppl understand Lupus, an autoimmune disease that isn’t always apparent.

Michael was a very private person bc the world stigmatized his every move, especially his health conditions.
Official diagnosis was through his medical team, identification of classic Lupus symptoms.

Educational resources on Michael’s vitiligo, lupus and burn injury.

all three significantly compounded one another and impacted him a lifetime. Pain, loss of hair, delayed wound healing, breathing issues, lung and joint inflammation, increased risk for infection while he just tried to live his life and manage symptoms 💔

Learn about each condition. Understand what he was dealing with every day on top of significant pain r/t back injury. Ppl are far too dismissive of acute and chronic pain Note: this is medically supported evidence and drawn up Michael’s words in interviews, not fan speculative.

Here’s your facts. Clinically supported in his autopsy.

1. Vitiligo.

2. Lupus is identified here in medical language: chronic pneumonitis, diffuse congestion, lobe enlargement. All of this means he dealt with harmful lung issues related to lupus such a breathing. This isn’t opinion. It’s the science.

3. Hair - due to his Lupus causing hair thinning & burn trauma in the 80’s, he had no follicles to stimulate hair regrowth. It’s that simple

4. Degenerative osteoarthritis. Lupus patients deal with chronic joint pain/inflammation causing damage to cartilage. This leads to osteoarthritis also significantly painful 😣

You can search this yourself. It’s an official medical examiner report despite what social media nimrods claim.

autopsyfiles.org/reports/Celebs…

happy 30th to Michael Jackson’s elite pen on visionary album, HIStory 🖊️❤️‍🔥

Threaded highlights of MJ’s cutting edge songwriting, elevating the standard in composition, storytelling & multi genre vocal excellence 🪡

#HIStory30
Scream
Lead single on HIStory album, hard hitting multi genre ; R&B, dance, pop, rock & funk - became the first single in 27 year Billboard history on debut in top 5 on US Billboard Hot 100
Janet spoke about having her bother’s back through the injustice of 1993, and indignities of tabloid falsification and wanting to collaborate on Scream

Written/produced/arranged/composed by Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jamel and Terry Lewis.
Lead/backing vocals, Michael and Janet
Michael - guitars and percussion.

Michael Jackson books 🧵 🪡 “Dancing the Dream”
(Michael Jackson)

The Art of Michael Jackson’s, Fred Astaire and Lionel Richie’s Ceiling dance Innovation; a mini thread
🧵🪡

Mind you, this creativity in short film/live performance is all in the last millennium 🙂‍↕️ Ceiling dance as an iconic cinematic technique was first employed in 1951 with Fred Astaire’s Royal Wedding - The room was built to rotate as a single unit, allowing Astaire to tap dance while the room turned. This technique created illusion of Astaire dancing on walls/ceiling

A whole level of disrespectful behavior everytime someone discredits Michael Jackson’s dancing or equates him with “carrying only the moonwalk”

MJ as a dance artist was THE most innovative and detailed oriented versatile dancer.

A thread 🧵 bc apparently ppl need reminding: MJ started dancing as young as 5.
Dancing was ingrained in his soul. do not play with “only moonwalk”. He was inspired by dance legends and never ONCE spoke disrespectfully of others or attempted to compare.

Evolution of Michael Jackson’s Dangerous ~ A Thread 🧵

Innovation in hand choreo - such a unique dance specialty American Music Awards ~ 1993

THE first performance.

The choice of simple backdrops highlighted MJs and backup dancer Isolation Mastery.

Michael Jackson in Rehearsal/Behind the Scenes ~ A Thread 🧵
Part 2 (short film)

MJ's concepts, creativity, his discipline, the innovation, the beauty, the artistry- HIS VISIONS BAD, 1986, New York City Helmsley Palace Hotel

Choreography: Michael Jackson, Jeffrey Daniel, Gregg Burge
Director: Martin Scorsese

Michael Jackson in Rehearsal ~ A thread
Part 1 (concert/live performances) 🧵

MJ as a disciplined artist/artistic director is profoundly impactful. He was respectful of his crew/collaborators, pushing them to excel in their craft with the standards he exemplified The Jacksons Triumph Tour 1981 Rehearsals
Quality is ratty, but THE VOCALS
Listen to the audio, Michael Jackson is telling them the songs are old, the choreography is old, the costumes are old.
MJ “I’m serious, you’ll see.”

The way Michael Jackson captivated audiences needs to be studied. A Thread for researchers 🧵

Delivering personal vocals to the front row 🙀 Purest of vocals - audience reaction you can actually hear and FEEL.

Michael Jackson Dance Isolations ~ Thread dedicated to dance innovation🧵

MJ fluidly built on this unique dance specialty throughout his career; no one compares to him.

He was inducted into The Dance Hall of Fame for his significant impact on the evolution/development of dance In dance, the term "isolations" describes the method of moving one body part separately from the others, and Michael Jackson was a MASTER at it.

MJ's robot isolations are so legendary, it's rumored robots took lessons from him to master the art of robot dance 🤭

Michael Jackson Stage Theatrics ~ A Starter Pack
MJ was VISIONARY, truly ahead of his time with staging during his concert tours.

Exhibit A- Where tf did he go?
The magic trick involved a trap door/ hidden platform. MJ would step in, drop out of sight. Exhibit A~ Where tf did he go..cont

WDAN into Beat it magic trick occurred with cloak dropped over, and MJ dropping behind, creating the illusion he was pulled up and out into cherry picker.

Michael Jackson, a Theatrical Stage Performer🧵

He was WORKIN the stage crew👏 Rehearsal Theatrical
Bad Era

Michael Jackson Dance ~ A Choreo Starter Pack

A Guide for every time someone says, "MJ is not a diverse dancer."

The art of living dangerously, a DANCE THREAD of MJ over 40 years Young MJ smooth moves/Jackson 5 excellence in entertainment artistry
Michael Jackson was a DANCER - peep that SNAP, he knew he bagged it.