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The Dance Appreciation Thread.

Re: The dance appreciation thread.

The Panther Dance to me is the holy grail. So raw and energetic.
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

^^^ The word "raw" reminds me of that scream while standing on a car. :)

Other subject: remember the bodyguards' book ? When one of 'em said that the Bruce Lee pictures he saw in the bathroom reminded of Michael's dance moves ? I wish I could have seen these pictures to see the extent of Lee's influence.
 
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Sorry, I cannot remember who said this, but it´s common knowledge about MJ, I guess: That he was ...

... "like lightning in a bottle"

To me that means:

... Michael had massive positive energy (in his art, as a human being)

... and Michael was able to build massive tension / release via his dancing and performances. Just remember the beginning of concerts where he remained a completely motionless statue and then broke the unbearable tension with a single whip of his head.

He was able to use that massive energy like noone else.
 
moonstruck87;4179368 said:
Sorry, I cannot remember who said this, but it´s common knowledge about MJ, I guess: That he was ...

... "like lightning in a bottle"

To me that means:

... Michael had massive positive energy (in his art, as a human being)

... and Michael was able to build massive tension / release via his dancing and performances. Just remember the beginning of concerts where he remained a completely motionless statue and then broke the unbearable tension with a single whip of his head.

He was able to use that massive energy like noone else.
Click to expand...
No one like him...
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

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Stage: The Dancing Feet Of Michael Jackson

By ANNA KISSELGOFF

Published: March 6, 1988



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THERE is no way to separate Michael Jackson the singer from Michael Jackson the dancer, as his new show proves again.

Mr. Jackson dances his way through every song, whether he is proclaiming how ''bad'' he is or urging all to look in the mirror and mend their ways. Viewed specifically as a dancer, he is tops, and his mixed messages are superbly served by a single dance style that goes in any emotional direction he desires.

Scrub away the the veneer of street dances in the performance he gave Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, look past the occasional suggestive gesture and rotating pelvis, marvel at the backward gliding moonwalk and the isolated body parts - seemingly set into motion on their own - and you see a virtuoso dancer who uses movement for its own sake.

Yes, Michael Jackson is an avant-garde dancer, and his dances could be called abstract. Like Merce Cunningham, he shows us that movement has a value of its own and that what we read into it is provided by the theatrical context around it.

Unlike the pop stars of the past, Mr. Jackson does not rely on prosaic body language. He speaks to his public mostly with nonspecific dances. To express approval, the audience responds with ''Woof woof.''

Notice how many times Mr. Jackson takes your breath away with his rapid-fire flat-footed turns, his staccato gestures, his burst of movement from any part of the body and you will see that the steps and sequences are often repeated. But their rhythms and phrasing are changed along with the studded jackets; the words shower the same dances with a torrent of varying emotion while laser beams light up the imagined sky.

A professional dance watcher could not help but relate the integration of technology into Mr. Jackson's current ''Bad'' album tour to similar mixed-media experiments that blanketed the dance avant-garde in the 1960's. Here, as there, the show was an exercise in perception. Here as there you could see the singers and musicians live and also on giant video screens as a cameraman prowled along onstage after the performers.

As a dancer, Mr.Jackson is an aerial. Not for him the ritualistic love of the earth that attracted pioneer modern dancers. The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing.

Precision is the name of the game in the several ensemble numbers he dances with a mean-looking group of four men, beginning with the opening ''Starting Something.'' Their hairstyles range from Minimalist (re-routed punk) to Maximalist (tousled mane), but there is nothing but total unison in their well-rehearsed ending-on-a-dime finales.

When a fan suddenly materialized onstage and pranced toward Mr. Jackson, the star's response seemed so choreographed that it looked like part of the show.

Can anyone, then, dance like Michael Jackson? Only if you can rise up on your toes without toe shoes, stay there, and keep up what is basically a nonstop two-hour solo.

Photo of Michael Jackson performing Thursday night at the Garden (AP)
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

Silouette said:
^ :) My favorite movie! I watch it every time I know its coming on TV. And many times I just happen up on itand happily watch it like I'm seeing it for the first time. Lol!Wylie did a terrific job....a little too "wild" in some of his dancing, but he was still great.Yes, R.I.P Wylie Draper. 5 May 1969 -20 December 1993
Click to expand...
Can you believe I found out he danced in the "Remember The Time" video yesterday ? I was watching the movie Victory performance and a comment made me google. :)
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

Word Smith Sr said:
Can you believe I found out he danced in the "Remember The Time" video yesterday ? I was watching the movie Victory performance and a comment made me google. :)
Click to expand...

Mmm hmm! I was surprised too when I first learned about that. :) I even tried to see if I could spot him. :lol:
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

Word Smith Sr said:
May you rest in peace Wylie Draper. That spin + the "Isaac said he kissed you, beneath..." footwork is amazing. His energy makes you think he put Michael's shoes on and let magic happen. Remember the magic socks powder intro ? I would have loved to see Michael's face when he saw Wylie dance like that. :D

Click to expand...
Are you saying that Willie did the magic socks powder intro?
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

^^^ Hehe, no I'm not. I was trying to say Wylie was great. :)

It's off topic, but I gotta say the actors who played Joe and Katherine were great.
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

^^ Yes! Angela Bassett is one of my favorite actresses and she played the role so very well;
as did Lawrence H.Jacobs, whom I had a little crush on when I was a youngster. Lol!
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

Silouette said:
^^ Yes! Angela Bassett is one of my favorite actresses and she played the role so very well;
as did Lawrence H.Jacobs, whom I had a little crush on when I was a youngster. Lol!
Click to expand...
Angela Bassett and Lawrence Hilton Jacobs are the best casting in the movie-(well, Billie Dee Williams as Gordy and Vanessa Williams as Suzanne are excellent too) and they're great actors so no wonder the movie really centers on the two of them.

Lawrence Hilton Jacobs is the reason I have a soft spot for Joseph to this day. Lol.
 
Michael Jackson’s Best Dance Breaks
by Matthew Scott Donnelly May 25, 2017 1:57 PM

[video=youtube_share;nw9NnI_LeNQ]http://youtu.be/nw9NnI_LeNQ[/video]
Look out, Michael Flatley — the Lord of the Dance might have a second and more rightful identity in Michael Jackson.
Between his 1964 professional debut as part of the Jackson 5 and his untimely 2009 death, Jackson gave convincing evidence that his feet were sprinkled with fairy dust. Beyond cultivating an identity as one of pop’s most identifiable voices, he proved he could dance like no other, and boogied through the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s like a well-dressed human metronome.
Between breakneck routines set to “Beat It,” “Man in the Mirror” moving and slinky “Smooth Criminal” choreography, Jackson exacted steps and slides like a pro. Plus, we’d be remiss to forget he first set The Moonwalk into motion.
As Jackson once aptly professed: “Thinking is the biggest mistake a dancer could make: You have to feel.” Check out MJ’s very best dance breaks above and tell us if there’s a particular routine you still remember.

Here's a link to the article.
http://popcrush.com/michael-jacksons-best-dance-breaks/
 
Re: The dance appreciation thread.

The more I watch new music videos and the next generation live. The more I appreciate how incredible, timeless, and simply unmatched Michael was as a dancer
 
I think drums might be my favourite instrument now.
 
I never get tired of watching this video! Danja, I agree with you on the drums. My favorite part of a marching band is always the drums.
 
I didn't know this was still on youtube! 12 years and counting :) would still love to know who choreographed this piece. though still in his teens, Michael was already dancing at a high level. this is one of the first times that he stepped out on his own. much of this style formed the basis of what he'd do later on. even without the tap sounds, his expression is animated.
 
MJ was the best dancer the world has ever seen - and propaply ever will see.

The moment in the drill - in This Is It - where MJ stands chewing gum and nails this very complicated dance - and the young dancers are so concentrated and not neasrly as fluid and good. - Looks so effortless and like he just makes it up on the spot. Amazing.
 
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