To this day, Michael Jackson's legacy lives on. The King of Pop's impact on music, dance, entertainment, and culture has left an indelible mark.
On Mar. 25, 1983, Michael Jackson performed his iconic "moonwalk" for the first time.
Michael Jackson's Moonwalk Happened 41 Years Ago
Michael Jackson's official Twitter/X account went on a trip down memory lane to commemorate the day that the late King of Pop first performed one of his iconic dance moves-the moonwalk!
"On this date in 1983, the audience in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium gasped as Michael showed off his moonwalk during his "Billie Jean" performance, but the rest of the world would have to wait until May of that year to see it on the broadcast of Motown 25 on TV," the tweet read.
In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, legendary show director Don Mischer explained how Michael's performance at the "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever," was almost axed from the performance.
At the time, Motown banned performing artists from performing a new song on the show. However, Michael Jackson had a different idea. When Mischer saw Jackson rehearsing "Billie Jean" with Linda Ronstadt, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross, they knew it was "incredibly special."
Contrary to popular belief, Michael Jackson's moonwalk moment wasn't that long. In fact, it only lasted two and a half seconds, but everyone's surprised yelp and reaction from the audience were enough to say that it was amazing.
"He had very clear creative ideas about what he wanted and how he wanted to see himself portrayed," Mischer revealed, referring to Jackson's visit to discuss which shots of his performance should be used for the final edited telecast. There were times we disagreed about a shot or something, but I always deferred to him. ... I trusted his judgment."
The live telecast of the Motown 25 didn't air on television until May 16, 1983, which marked the first time the world has seen Michael Jackson do the moonwalk.
Fans React To Michael Jackson's Moonwalk Legacy
People on social media commemorated the iconic dance move, raving about how great a performer Michael Jackson was.
"Hard to imagine in 2024 seeing a dance move so new and revolutionary that the audience start screaming," a user wrote on Reddit.
"I remember watching that when it aired and just going "OH SHIT!" during that whole performance, honestly not believing a person could do that. That was the moment (IMHO) when MJ became a global sensation and the momentum really never stopped until his death," another commented.
"this is when the world changed. mj changed dance & music forever. King," one fan tweeted.
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