Michael Jackson’s Iconic Moonwalk Wasn’t Perfect at Motown 25, Says Jeffrey Daniel

Michael Jackson’s Iconic Moonwalk Wasn’t Perfect at Motown 25, Says Jeffrey Daniel

Michael Jackson’s legendary moonwalk, which became a defining moment in his career, didn’t go exactly as planned during his performance at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special in 1983. Shalamar’s Jeffrey Daniel, who first introduced the move to Jackson, recently revealed that the King of Pop didn’t execute the moonwalk as flawlessly as he had hoped.

In an interview with ContactMusic, Jeffrey Daniel shared that he first showed Michael Jackson the moonwalk in 1980, but it wasn’t until 1983 that Jackson publicly performed it. Daniel explained, “That doesn’t mean it took him three years to learn it. He may have been just waiting for the perfect opportunity to showcase the dance.”

Jeffrey recalled being in the audience at the Motown 25th Anniversary special when Michael Jackson performed Billie Jean. While the performance was iconic, Daniel noted that Jackson wasn’t fully satisfied with how the moonwalk turned out. After the performance, Michael told him, “Yeah, but it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to.” Daniel reassured him, saying, “Bro, whatever you did out there, you killed the audience.”

The moonwalk became a signature move for Michael Jackson, but at the time of its first public appearance, it left many in the audience shocked and impressed. Jeffrey added that, while the audience was thrilled by the dance, those who knew him personally looked at him in surprise, as it was originally his move. “When Michael did that backslide for the first time, the audience jumped up. But the people who I knew looked at me because it was like, ‘Michael’s doing your thing.’”

Despite the moment not going as perfectly as Jackson had hoped, the moonwalk went on to become one of the most iconic and imitated dance moves in music history.