In Michael Jackson's concerts, he often shows off his exclusive signature move: leaning forward until the body is at a 45-degree angle with the ground without falling to the ground, and then slowly returning the body to its original state. is vertical. This is the so-called "anti-gravity forward lean". The whole set of movements seems to ignore the existence of gravity. Everyone who has seen it applauds in amazement. The secret is Jackson's exclusive patented shoes.
Michael Jackson released the musical film "Moonwalk" in 1988. The film is 93 minutes long and consists of a series of MV shorts. In the video, Jackson dances in a 1930s-style nightclub and performs a "gravity-defying lean." At first, Jackson used a safety belt around his waist to complete this classic forward 45-degree plus rotation action, but this method was not practical for use in concerts.
Jackson and his two costume designers (Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins) found a new way to work on dance boots and stage floors. They even applied to the U.S. Patent Office for this plan. patent.
The whole secret of performing this dance lies in the preparation of costumes and props. The direct reason lies in the design of the dancer's shoes. If ordinary people wear ordinary shoes, it is impossible to complete this difficult action. There are hooks on the heels of the shoes, and there is an area on the stage with hooks that match the hooks. Michael Jackson and his backup dancers walked to this area when they needed to perform. Just attach the heel of your shoe to the hook on the stage.
At the same time, the upper of this kind of shoe also has a distinctive design, which is more like a woman's long boots, with a high and specially treated shoe shaft, so that it can be worn when dancing. The actors lean forward when the heels are hung. The strong and high shoe tubes can help the dancers share the impact of gravity and keep the body tilted without falling. The reason why this special shoe shaft was not discovered was that it was hidden under the camouflage of socks and pants. Even so, being able to perform this dance requires hard work and strong muscles. When doing this action, one leg can bear 146 kilograms of weight, and few people can imitate it so far.
During the song performance, Jackson and the backup dancers will walk to a certain place on the stage at the same time. The lights are dimmed and no one is visible. At this time, the dancer playing the devil performs, and the camera switches to him, followed by a beam of bright light. He has to perform for a few seconds. The purpose of this move is to attract the audience's attention.
The staff under the stage lifted the nut out and fixed it. The dancer is in position, confirms that the nuts are protruding from the ground, and secures the two heels on the two nuts. When the lights came on, Jackson and the dancers collectively tilted at a 45-degree angle, and then slowly pulled up together. After the movement was completed, Jackson and the dancers slid back and left with their feet up. Finally, the people under the stage put away the nuts and the stage returned to its original state.
The whole process of "leaning forward against gravity" only takes five seconds, but even with these fixation systems, the body must be kept straight when tilting, and the muscles of the legs, waist, back, and shoulders require long-term Training can be called a combination of intelligence, physical fitness and skills.