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PADWD1001 Dance Essay, Semester 1, 2015

The 1982 release of Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” irrevocably transformed the nature of the

international music industry and the face of popular culture in general. The album became “the best

selling album of all time”1; with roughly 100 million copies sold worldwide, earning eight Grammy

Awards in the process2. The resulting 1983 releases of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Thriller”

music videos significantly contributed to this success and are arguably responsible for the longevity

and depth of Jackson’s influence as a vocalist and dancer. They are also responsible for the rise to

prominence of the MTV channel, which was first to air them thereby benefitting from their

immense immediate popularity, and in ushering in the age of the music video3. Both the “Beat It”

and “Thriller” feature significant narrative elements, which drive the action and influence the

choreography of both works. Although the choices made by Jackson and his chorographical

collaborator Michael Peters, are utilized to articulate and accentuate the particular themes presented

in the aforementioned videos, that has not stopped their moves being coopted by other artists and

incorporated into their works. Indeed, the general notion of using mini-movie style music video to

accompany a song, as opposed to a generic promotional video was arguably founded, and at the

very least elevated, by Jackson, which can be seen in that styles extensive usage in contemporary

works.

Jackson “made no secret about his affection for traditional showbiz and the glamour that goes with

it”4 so it is unsurprising that, when paired renowned musical theatre choreographer Michael Peters,

1 Barnes, Brooks ‘A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson dies at 50’, New York Times (25 June 2009)2 Ibid3 Ibid4 Connelly, Christopher ‘Album Reviews: Michael Jackson’s Thriller’, Rolling Stone (28 January 1983)

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who had previously shared a Tony award with Michael Bennett for “Dreamgirls”5, both videos

generate a distinctly theatrical impression. Indeed, The Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Thriller”

music videos has been described as a “sophisticated blend of musical theatre and pop values” 6.

“Beat It” begins with two rival street gangs marshaling their forces. Jackson’s lone voice is heard

above the scene discouraging the unnecessary hyper-masculine posturing of the gang-related

violence, which was widespread at the time the video was made. Jackson said that he wrote the

song and produced the video to “bring the world together”7 and encourage the gang members to

“turn the other cheek”8. Fittingly, the piece ends with Jackson stopping a knife fight between two

rival gang leaders (one played by Peters) and then leading them in a large-scale choreographed

dance sequence, suggesting that their difference can be overcome though cooperation as opposed to

antagonism.

Interestingly, the general movement of the gang members seems largely relaxed in contrast

to Jackson’s acute, repeated angular kicks and pelvic isolations9, with much of their “choreography”

appearing as short stylized extensions of organic gangster-esque movements10. The simultaneous

juxtaposition of Jackson’s pacifist vocal message and his aggressive choreography, and the calm

movements of the gang-members with their violent intent, accentuate the frustration felt by Jackson

at the normalcy of this type of behaviour, and reinforces the anti-violent message of the work. The

final harmony sequences contains the first formal articulation of the move, The Worm, which peters

5 Day, Patrick Kevin, Martens Todd, ‘25 Thriller Facts’ The Los Angeles Times (12 February 2008)6 Dunning, Jennifer ‘Michael Peters, A Choreographer of ‘Dreamgirls’, is dead at 46’, New York Times (1 September 1994) 7 ‘Behind the scenes of the making of ‘Beat It’ Rare”. Online video clip. YouTube (6 September 2010) accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqO37PMNf08 Ibid 9 Ibid10 Op Cit. Barnes, Brooks

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describes as “a wave of energy from the penis to the tip of the head”11, which has since been widely

used across a variety of dance styles. The general marriage of a flawless fusion of jazz and pop

dance styles as a narrative vehicle to deliver an important message of harmony are why this music

video has enjoyed such great success and continues to be influential in the contemporary dance

industry. Jackson introduced the notion that dance technique, integrated with lyrics could be a

means by which a message could be delivered to the public, and thus dramatically increased their

emotional resonance with the general public, as evidenced by its continuing popularity.

Jackson’s “Thriller” music video took this concept a step further. The clip begins with a couple

(Jackson and Ola Ray) watching a horror movie with Ray walking out because she is too scared. On

their way home Jackson sings the first few verse of the song in while mocking Ray with

stereotypical zombie movements (which appear, refined, in a choreographed sequence later in the

clip). As the pair walk past a graveyard a host of zombies awake from the dead, eventually

surrounding them, the music stops as the camera pans to reveal Jackson as a zombie and then leads

into a large-scale dance sequences.

Throughout the dance sequence, Jackson and the company of zombies employ a variety of

isolated and syncopated movements to accentuate the unnaturalness of their characters. The

syncopated steps featured is also a result Michael Peter’s emphasis in coordinating his

choreography to the “sounds of the instruments”12 as opposed to counting out the steps as used in

ballet and other modern dance13, which aligns the dancers to the emotional sentiments of the music

as opposed to strictly to the rhythm Particularly, the isolation and syncopated movement of the head

11 Chu Daniel, Rowes Barbar ‘ Michael Peters is the hot new choreographer who makes dancers out of rock stars’. People Magazine. Volume 21. Number 25 (25 June 1984)12 Op Cit. Chu Daniel, Rowes Barbar ‘ Michael Peters is the hot new choreographer who makes dancers out of rock stars’. People Magazine. Volume 21. Number 25 (25 June 1984)13 Ibid

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backwards through the opening sequence of this part dance break is particularly effective as it gives

the dancers a more corpse like impression. Indeed, the choreography oscillates between isolated

limp upper body movements giving the dancers an almost rag-doll impression, and stiff, rigid

movements commonly associated with zombies. Notably, the studio hired four pop and lock dance

specialists for the video, which emphasizes the role that isolation plays in the piece.

The connection of the choreography and the emotion of the music, combined to the themes of both

of the pieces is arguably responsible for the popularity and the influence of Jackson’s music videos.

It allowed the audience to emotionally connect with the piece as a whole, instead of having the

choreography as pure ornamentation. Although, no performer has really managed to replicate the

emotional resonance of Jackson’s vocal and chorographical performances the influence of his

extensive use of narrative in his music videos can be seen in contemporary works. Lady Gaga’s

“Born This Way” music video owes much to Jackson’s groundbreaking work and clearly follows

his pattern of establishing the plot prior to the introduction of the music, with the dance style used

to reflect the general style of the piece. Similarly, Katy Perry’s toys with narrative elements

evocative of Jackson’s work. Jackson’s music videos also had wide-reaching consequences for the

African American community he represented. The vast popularity of the “Thriller” album in

general, but particularly Eddie Van Halen’s appearance on guitar as part of “Beat It”, led to a

“breakdown of the traditional racial barriers on FM radio”14. Similarly, MTV, which had a

reputation for featuring predominantly white performers, showed a heavy rotation of Jackson videos

to meet the demand, thereby instigating and then mainstreaming a black presence on the program.

The significance of Michael Jackson’s influence as a performer is undeniable. Not only were his

songs fundamentally different to the vast majority of his predecessors, the grandeur and quality of

14 Day, Patrick Kevin, Martens Todd, ‘25 Thriller Facts’ The Los Angeles Times (12 February 2008)

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the additional elements of the pieces that accompanied them, such as his music videos, permanently

changed the face of popular music and society in general. Their influence stems from their

revolutionary nature: binding emotionally resonant music with effective, exciting, expressive

choreography. In many ways his music videos can draw analogies to the advent of the integrated

musical, and that Jackson combined, and elevated, the preexisting elements of the music industry

into a cohesive, popular whole. He introduced revolutionary choreography and styles into the

industry that raised the bar for all those involved in the music industry, which can been seen in

much of his work still be imitated contemporaneously. In doing so he was able to combat negative

racial stereotypes that had preciously affect him and black performers in general. Thus, not only did

Michael Jackson’s music videos revolutionise, and continue to influence the music industry, and

subsequently dance history, they also significantly affected society in general.

Bibliography

Books

1. J. Randy Taraborelli, Michael Jackson The Magic the Madness (Birch Lane Press Book, New York, 1991)

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2. Michael Heatley, ‘Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009 Life of a Legend (Headline Publishing Group, London, 2009)

Newspaper Articles

3. Barnes, Brooks ‘A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson dies at 50’, New York Times (25 June 2009)

4. Chu Daniel, Rowes Barbar ‘ Michael Peters is the hot new choreographer who makes dancers out of rock

stars’. People Magazine. Volume 21. Number 25 (25 June 1984)

5. Connelly, Christopher ‘Album Reviews: Michael Jackson’s Thriller’, Rolling Stone (28 January 1983)

6. Day, Patrick Kevin, Martens Todd, ‘25 Thriller Facts’ The Los Angeles Times (12 February 2008)

7. Dunning, Jennifer ‘Michael Peters, A Choreographer of ‘Dreamgirls’, is dead at 46’, New York Times (1

September 1994)

Video Resources

8. ‘Behind the scenes of the making of ‘Beat It’ Rare”. Online video clip. YouTube (6 September 2010) accessed

at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqO37PMNf0

9. ‘Lady Gaga – Born This Way’. Online video Clip. YouTube (3 October 2012) Accessed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw

10. ‘Michael Jackson – Beat It’. Online Video Clip. YouTube. (11 April 2011) accessed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRdxUFDoQe0

11. ‘Michael Jackson – Thriller ’. Online Video Clip. YouTube. (3 October 2009) Accessed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izS67QTVAjk

12. ‘Michael Jackson – Thriller Making Of – Part 1 (rehearsal) Online Video Clip. Youtube. (2 September 2009)

Accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlMJgVakm1c

13. ‘Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Online Video Clip. YouTube (12 June 2011) accessed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlyXNRrsk4A