The dancer, singer and performer, Michael Jackson’s musical achievements are legend. He is the first artist to win eight Grammy’s in one night and to sell more than a million digital tracks in one week. His dance moves, smooth slides, trademark moonwalk, all have been imitated at varying degrees of success by his fans around the world. But one move that stunned the world, was his gravity-defying tilt he debuted in his 1987 music video for Smooth Criminal. How did he do it? Even nine years after his death, doctors are still trying to figure out how the King of Pop was able to do what he did. The doctors will also study Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty's dance moves.

In one scene, Jackson leans forward 45 degrees, back straight, feet flat upon the floor and holds the pose until he returns upright with little to no effort. Neurosurgeons at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, published a study in the Journal of Neurosurgery that looked at the iconic lean that Jackson debuted in his 1987 music video. Neurosurgeon Manjul Tripathi said, “Most trained dancers with strong core strength will reach a maximum of 25 to 30 degrees of forward bending while performing this action. MJ pulled off a gravity-defying 45-degree move that seems unearthly to any witness.”

The Secret of the Dance Move

Researchers discovered that the secret was in his strong core and fancy shoes. A strong, athletic core from strengthened spinal and lower-limb muscles helped the dancer successfully do this move. “The chances of injury to the ankle are significant,” Tripathi warned. “You need strong core muscles and good support around the ankle. It’s not a simple trick.”

The famous Micheal Jackson 45 degree bend. (Photo Credits: Ryan Ian Moseley/Facebook)

But that was not it. No matter how marvellous your shape is or how strong is your core, no one can lean forward to a 45-degree angle, it is humanly impossible. Doctors explained when the body is bent forward the erector spinae muscles that run parallel to our vertebrae support the body as the centre of the gravity shifts. But when the focus of bending is switched to the ankles, those erector muscles aren’t a major support. Instead, the strain is put on the calf and Achilles tendon, which aren’t really built for that role.

The trick was in the one-of-a-kind shoe designed for Jackson that would assist him in pulling off the move. The shoes had a specially designed heel peg that would protrude and connect to the stage, allowing Jackson to shift his balance and perform the lean. Prior to the fancy shoes, Michael relied on supporting cables and a harness around his waist to create the illusion.

It’s said that Michael and two of his Hollywood colleagues borrowed the footwear idea from US astronauts’ boots, which can be docked to a fixed rail when working in zero gravity. But even with specially designed shoes, the move is incredibly hard to pull off, requiring athletic core strength from strengthened spinal and lower-limb muscles, say the doctors.

Doctors caution, “Several MJ fans, have tried to copy his move and failed often injuring themselves in their endeavours.” The patent was first created in 1993 but expired in 2005. The revolutionary shoes were reportedly auctioned off for 600,000 dollars in 2009. However, Michael Jackson’s talent is forever priceless and there will be no other like him. "We will now study the dance moves of Mithun Chakraborty, who was one of the first Indian movie dancers to imitate MJ," said the Indian doctors.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2018 12:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).