OMG! WE’RE GONNA LEARN THE MOONWALK!

It’s the first move everyone wants to learn, and it’s usually the first thing people will ask you if you can do. It’s…. the MOONWALK.

Hey guys, I’m Otis Funkmeyer, the professor of popping! I write an article about popping here at WCP every Sunday. I have lots of lessons, articles, DVDs, downloads, and music at my website www.funkmeyers.com!

Well… wait a sec.

Actually, in the popping world, it’s not called the moonwalk. It’s called the backslide. Which makes sense. Since you slide backwards. And it doesn’t really look anything like walking on the moon. In the popping world, the moonwalk refers to a circular movement where you float up and down and it looks like–you guessed it–you’re walking on the moon!

Either way, the late, great Michael Jackson made it famous so most people know the backslide as the moonwalk. Don’t go around being an annoying twit telling everyone it’s actually called the backslide either. As long as YOU know, that’s what’s important!

So, how do we do it, this most amazing move?

We start by analyzing how walking works, throw in a few techniques, make it extra smooth, and next thing you know, you’re moonslide/backwalking :)

How do we Walk?

That’s the question. And the easiest way to find out is to get out of your chair and walk slowly and analyze it. If you’re too lazy for that, well you’re in luck, cuz I’m gonna explain it to you anyway.

The way that we walk is that we put all of our weight on one of our legs. That leg, the one with the weight on it, is straight. The other leg is up in the air, it’s bent, and it has no weight on it (duh).

So, to repeat. Two legs. One straight, has weight. One bent, no weight.

How do we MOONWalk

So what we do to get the effect of the moonwalk is we REVERSE this normal way of walking. We make it LOOK the same. One leg is bent and one leg is straight. But ahhh… something is different.

THE BENT LEG HAS ALL THE WEIGHT ON IT. The straight leg has no weight on it!


*THAT* is the illusion of the moonwalk.

There’s some good news in this and some bad news. The good news is that you now know how to do the moonwalk. You’re pretty much half way there. The bad news is that you now have to actually DO the moonwalk. As we’ll see, it’s a more challenging move than it looks!

How Do we Do the moonwalk?

The first thing we have to do is get good at balancing on one bent leg. That’s the fundamental secret of the moonwalk. You balance on your leg that is bent. Now, normally when you stand on one leg and you bend it, one of two things happens. You either go up in the air or you squat down low. We are doing neither of these things. In fact, it is critically important that we stay at the EXACT SAME HEIGHT at all times. Otherwise the illusion is ruined.

So what we are doing is this. You raise up onto the ball of your foot without changing your height. If you look in a mirror, you should not move at all. ONLY your foot should move up and your knee should move out. Everything else should stay still. This is easier said than done!

For the Beginners

If you’re new to this, it might be too hard to do that at all. So here’s what you can do. Practice going up on the balls of BOTH feet at the same time, while you hold onto something like a wall, and look in a mirror to make sure that you do not move up or down in height. This will train your calf muscles and you will get a feel for what it feels like.

Every so often, you can practice taking your hands away from the wall and even lifting up one of your feet so that you can try to balance on one foot.

The Next Step

Once you can balance on one foot, you’re really almost there. The next step is to slide the other leg back, pulling from the heel first, like you’re trying to kick a rock that’s right behind you. As you slide this leg back, make sure it has no weight on it. At the same time, come up on the ball of the foot with the weight on it.

When you have slid the leg back to the point where you can’t slide it anymore, you’re ready for… the TRANSITION

The Trickiest Step of All

What makes or breaks the moonwalk is the transition. People who are dope gliders basically have great transitions. That means that the switch between weight is seamless and it really looks like they are gliding on ice. What you have to do is REALLY QUICKLY switch the weight from one leg to the other by bending the straight leg and straightening the bent leg.

As you do this, you must IMMEDIATELY start sliding the leg that is now straight back, always pulling from the heel.

Also it’s really important in this step to keep your upper body straight and not bend forward. Only your LEGS should be moving. This too is easier said than done!

After the transition, it’s just the same thing all over again. Slide back, switch, slide back, switch, slide back, switch. You’re making Michael Jackson proud!

Some Tips

Let’s go over the steps again, because this is a little complicated.

1. When we normally walk, our straight leg has all the weight. The bent leg has none.
2. When we MOONwalk, our bent leg has all the weight. Our straight leg has none.
3. We start by coming up on the ball of one leg, making it bent. We make sure to stay at exactly the same level while we put our way on the ball of the foot.
4. We start sliding the other leg back, pulling from the heel. This leg is FREE and has NO weight on it.
5. When the leg sliding reaches as far back as you can get it to slide, you quickly switch the weight, straightening the bent leg while you come up on the ball of what was the straight leg, and putting your weight on that leg.
6. Repeat. Slide the leg that is now straight back and continue!

So, to make it smooth, try these tips.

• Hover the straight leg just above the ground. Don’t actually slide it across the ground because the friction between your shoe and the ground will make it stick.
• Use baby powder on the bottom of your shoes. I learned this from one of the best gliders I’ve ever seen, named Tiev. Apparently, Michael Jackson did this as well.
• Keep your weight forward and your body upright. There is a tendency to start leaning back since you’re moving backwards. To prevent this, actively put your weight forward slightly.
• Don’t move your arms and body too much. The illusion looks best when you are still. Watch MJ. He doesn’t move too much and it makes it that much more trippy.
• Feel SMOOTH. The moonwalk works best when you move SMOOOOOTH and feel SMOOOOTH. That’s just the kind of move it is.

THE WRAP-UP!

I didn’t realize when I started writing this how complicated the moonwalk is. Especially to put into words! My best advice is just keep practicing and everyday, even if you’re already starting to get it, practice balancing on the ball of your feet. You can never practice that too much!

KEEP IT POPPIN!
Otis Funkmeyer, Ph.D. of Popping


Similar Posts:

• You Know You Want To: The Arm Wave
• Dude, Where’s Your Technique?
• 5 Steps to a Better Robot Through Isolation
• 5 Ways a Dimestop Makes You Dope
• Let’s Get This Party Started: The Basics of Isolation
Share and Enjoy:
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•