Fred Astaire thought Michael Jackson was the greatest dancer

Interested to hear of this quote from Fred Astaire on seeiing Michael Jackson dance;

“Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That’s the greatest dancer of the century”.

and

“I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!”

Michael Jackson dedicated his 1988 autobiogaraphy Moonwalk to Fred Astaire.

Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, singer, musician and actor.

Watch the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers great dance!

What do you know about ''The Wiz''?

The Wiz is a 1978 American musical adventure film produced in collaboration between Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urban reimagining of L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was loosely adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name. Produced by Rob Cohen and directed by Sidney Lumet, The Wiz stars Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor. Michael Jackson, a former Motown star who by the start of development on The Wiz in 1977, had left Motown for Epic Records with his brothers The Jacksons, was cast as the Scarecrow. Jackson was dedicated to the role, and watched videotapes of gazelles, cheetahs, and panthers in order to learn graceful movements for his part.

The film version of The Wiz would go on to become a cult classic, particularly among African-American audiences, Oz enthusiasts, and fans of Michael Jackson.

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What do you know about Michael Jackson's "Moonwalk"?

The moonwalk (also known as "the Glide" by inner-city youth) is a dance move in which the dancer moves backwards while appearing to be making the physical movement of walking forwards. A popping move, it became popular around the world after Michael Jackson executed the dance move during a performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on March 25, 1983. This special was broadcast May 16, 1983. It subsequently became his signature move.

Dressed in his signature black trousers, silver socks, silver shirt, black-sequined jacket, single sequined glove, and black fedora, Jackson spun around, posed, and began moonwalking. Music critic Ian Inglis later wrote that Jackson encapsulated a long tradition of African-American dance movements in that one performance. The audience cheered Michael's moonwalk. Moonwalking received widespread attention, and from then on, the moonwalk became Jackson's signature move for his song "Billie Jean".

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