Hi There!

Today I will be showing you how to do the famous Michael Jackson Moonwalk! So far the other Instructables I have seen are either to confusing, or wrong. But today we are going to learn how to do the Moonwalk the right way, the easy way!

If you want to be able to do the Moonwalk by the end of this Instructable I recommend you read each part of this Instructable making sure not to skip any detail.

Lastly remember that this is no one day thing, the Moonwalk may take hours to master, so make sure to practice every day because Practice Makes Perfect!

This is an entry to Burning Questions: Round 5 so don't forget to vote and rate!

(Turn up your sound)

Step 1: A Little History

The "Moonwalk" also known as the "Backslide" is a complicated Dance Move populurized by the king of pop himself Michael Jackson. Before Michael the Moonwalk was simply known as the Backslide, first used by Tony Montanaro in a mime act. Later in 1943 a tap dancer known as Bill Bailey, preformed a version of the Backslide during a skit.

Also Jeffrey Daniel, Cab Calloway, and even Betty Boop have done the Moonwalk or Backslide! Michael did not invent it he just improved it and made it his own. It became famouse after his performance in The first Moonwalk performed on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever

But only after Michael Jackson's performance of hit song Billie Jean in TV Special during the early 1980's the Moonwalk became famous. Being a perfectionist Michael was not happy with his Moonwalk. But it will always be remembered as a magic moment in music/dance history.

The Moonwalk is the of stepping forward while actually moving backward. And it became famous after this very performance! It is done at 3:35 - 3:45

Step 2: What You Need

There are four basic things you need to have to complete the Moonwalk

- Comfortable Clothing: This is probably the most important step to the Moonwalk, you need to be in really good clothes which can provide you the flexbilty to do the dance, Jeans are a definitely no-no!

- Socks: For the first couple times it is better to use socks, because certain shoes may not slide as well as socks can.

- Floor: For the first couple times you need to find a good Smooth Wooden Floor, they work best. Floors like tile which have cracks in them do not work well, and carpeted floors do not work well either.

- Time: Your not going to be able to do the Moonwalk your very first time, it takes practice! And it can take days before you can get it right.

Once you are a pro you can do the dance pretty much anywhere! and let me tell you this impresses many people.

With all the things listed above and a good attitude you are ready to continue

Step 3: The Three Simple Steps

To do the Moonwalk there are only three easy steps:

1.) Lift one foot, at a 45 degree angle, while keeping the other foot flat on the ground.

2.) Slide the flat foot backward about 1 foot, while keeping the your other foot still.

3.) Switch feet. The flat foot becomes the 45 degree angle foot while the 45 degree angle foot becomes the flat foot

And than keep repeating 5-10 times, until satisfied.

To finish the illusion swing your arms in a motion as if you where walking forward while doing the Moonwalk, and as you slide your leg back move your head forward.