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Michael Jackson didn’t just perform—he moved in ways that became pop culture history. Join us as we celebrate the King of Pop’s most unforgettable dance-floor signatures, from the smooth glide that changed everything to sharp isolations, fearless spins, and those instantly recognizable stage flourishes that helped define an era. Which MJ move rules them all?
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00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks from Michael Jackson's most
00:12iconic and best-known dance floor maneuvers.
00:1810. The Head Snap
00:24The king of pop didn't need his whole body to command the stage, just his neck.
00:30Michael Jackson's head roll move was often used as a rhythmic punctuation mark, usually
00:34during a sharp instrumental break or right before a massive vocal explosion.
00:46It wasn't just a simple isolation, it was a snappy, fluid movement that often set his
00:52signature curls flying.
00:53This move perfectly illustrated Jackson's staccato style.
00:57The ability to be incredibly sharp one second and buttery smooth the next.
01:08A closer look at live performances for songs like Dirty Diana or Beat It can clearly showcase
01:14how Jackson used this subtle motion to build tension.
01:17It's a masterclass in how to look effortlessly cool while maintaining total control over every muscle.
01:23I don't care what I say, I want to go too far, I'll feel everything if you make me a
01:30star.
01:319. The Hat Tip
01:39Great dancers and actors are frequently adept at incorporating everything around them for their art,
01:45and this definitely includes their wardrobe.
01:48Michael Jackson could frequently be seen tipping and tugging on his trademark fedora,
01:53a hat that became something of a visual shorthand for his stage persona.
01:57He could tip the brim low to create an air of mystery during Billie Jean,
02:01or flick it back to reveal his eyes during Smooth Criminal.
02:12The hat was basically an extension of his arms, snapping it into place with surgical precision.
02:17It wasn't about looking sharp, it was about the silhouette.
02:27The robot was a robot.
02:318. His Robot
02:41Michael Jackson certainly didn't invent the robot,
02:44but it could be argued that he perfected it and brought it to the global masses.
02:48His version of the robot appeared as early as the Jackson 5 era during tunes like Dancing
02:54Machine, where Michael's interpretation of the mechanical movement felt eerily precise.
03:04MJ's ability to isolate his joints, moving his elbow without his shoulder or his wrist
03:09without his arm, was light years ahead of his time.
03:12This move helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the popping and locking
03:17craze, and it remains a testament to his technical discipline.
03:27Number 7.
03:29The Hip Thrust
03:38The connection between hip movement, music, and sexuality is one that goes way back, and
03:44always seemed to be tethered around the reputation of early rock and roll.
03:48Michael Jackson's Hip Thrust took this controversial dance move to a whole new level of athleticism
03:53and timing.
04:02MJ usually synced them perfectly with a snare drum or a heavy bass hit, making the move less
04:08about provocation and more about the physical embodiment of the beat.
04:12It was sharp, aggressive, and undeniably charismatic on tunes like Bad or The Way You Make Me Feel.
04:18His hip thrusts became a move that was imitated by countless pop stars since, but nobody carries
04:24that specific blend of grit and grace quite like Mike.
04:27Just kiss my baby and tell me twice
04:31And you're the one for me
04:34Number 6.
04:35Kicking
04:36A Lot
04:37It's an immediately recognizable mental image, that silhouette of a man with one leg extended
04:42high into the air.
04:43You're the one for me
04:46Michael Jackson's onstage kicks frequently seemed to serve as his way of releasing the buildup
04:52of energy in a song.
04:54They were often executed at the end of a long dance sequence or a powerful chorus, kicks
04:59that were high, fast, and remarkably flexible.
05:08MJ would sometimes snap them straight to the front, while other times, it was a sweeping
05:13sidekick that transitioned into a spin.
05:16These physical exclamation points would also immediately melt into the next move, proving
05:21that Jackson's body was in a constant state of flow.
05:41We would almost certainly be remiss for not including Michael Jackson's scandalous reputation
05:47for grabbing his crotch while dancing on stage and in music videos.
05:50The move would become a definitive one during the bad era in particular, raising eyebrows
05:55and sparking parental concern in the late 80s.
05:58Jackson famously defended the move as a purely subconscious reaction to the music, explaining
06:03that when he was in the zone and responding to the rhythm.
06:06It's the music that compels me to do it.
06:09It's not saying I'm getting ready to grab down there and it's not a great place.
06:11You don't think about it, it just happens.
06:14Sometime I'll look back at the footage and I'll go, and I'll go, did I do that?
06:17It became a massive cultural phenomenon, usually being paired with a sharp pelvic thrust and
06:23some sort of theatrical flair or vocalization.
06:43A lot of dancers can spin, but the multiple 360-degree spins of Michael Jackson were in a league of
06:50their own.
06:50MJ didn't just turn, he became a blur as his almost manic-looking revolutions came to a dead stop instantly.
06:58Jackson could execute four, five or even six rotations with dizzying speed while his head stood relatively level.
07:16This technique, known as spotting, was taken to the extreme during MJ's spins, basically serving as the visual equivalent of
07:24a drumroll,
07:25building massive anticipation before the song's next big beat drops.
07:46It was a move that seemed to defy all of the laws of physics.
07:50A toe stand that wound up becoming one of the ultimate how did he do that moment of Michael Jackson's
07:55career.
07:55Those familiar with classical ballet would probably know very well how MJ borrowed his toe stands from the on points
08:02from that world,
08:03with both iterations requiring incredible calf strength and balance.
08:07Point work is not just up and down, it's pushing off the floor, it's shaping the shoes, it's using the
08:13strength in your metatarsals.
08:14The king of pop would frequently use his toe stand as the button at the end of a frantic dance
08:20break or series of spins,
08:21rising onto the very tips of his loafers and holding that position for several seconds.
08:26One particularly memorable instance of MJ doing this move was at the Motown 25 celebration, leaving the audience awestruck.
08:45The world was left scratching its head after the premiere of Michael Jackson's video for Smooth Criminal back in 1988.
08:51This was naturally after MJ debuted the anti-gravity lean.
09:03Michael and his dancers would lean forward at a 45 degree angle.
09:07Meanwhile, the group would continue keeping their bodies straight as a board throughout it all,
09:12far past the point where a person should naturally fall over.
09:15So how could Michael lean twice as far as everybody else?
09:18Well, it turns out that he had some help.
09:21This effect may have originally been achieved via wires on the Smooth Criminal set,
09:25but Jackson would actually patent a special shoe and peg system so he could perform it live on stage during
09:31the Dangerous and History tours.
09:33The anti-gravity lean required immense core and leg strength to pull off convincingly, even with the mechanical help.
09:39Trained dancers, without the shoes, can only bend at about 30 degrees.
09:45That's impressive.
09:46But with the shoes, they need to make it 15 degrees farther all while looking fly and not screaming in
09:51agony.
09:52I could probably make it to about 5 degrees.
09:56So this move is seriously superhuman.
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10:25Number 1. The Moonwalk.
10:27Okay, just show me slow motion. Could you show me slow motion?
10:30Okay.
10:31Wait.
10:35It's like, it's pushing and…
10:38The Moonwalk was nothing less than a global phenomenon after Michael Jackson debuted his take on the backslide he learned
10:45from folks like Garen Kasper Candidate or Jeffrey Daniel.
10:48MJ blew the roof off the aforementioned Motown 25 special, boggling minds and changing the phase of dance almost overnight.
11:05Jackson's Moonwalk serves as the pinnacle of his liquid style of movement, a thing of beauty that lends the illusion
11:12of walking forward while gliding backward.
11:14It's the absolute ultimate Michael Jackson moment that helped cement his status as the unrivaled king of pop.
11:29What's your favorite MJ dance move? Let us know in the comments.
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