When most people think of the moonwalk, one image instantly comes to mind—Michael Jackson gliding backward on stage during his performance of Billie Jean on the 1983 Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. That electrifying few seconds would etch the move into pop culture history forever. Yet, despite becoming his signature move, Jackson didn’t invent the moonwalk. Its roots stretch back decades, through the rich history of street dance and stage performance.

Trying to pinpoint the exact origin of the moonwalk is like trying to credit one person with inventing rock and roll—it’s impossible. The moonwalk is the product of decades of evolution in dance, particularly from Black performers. Cab Calloway, a legendary entertainer from the 1930s, claimed he had done similar moves during his performances. He jokingly said that in his day, they called it “The Buzz.”

The first known footage of a moonwalk-like move dates back to 1955, when dancer Bill Bailey performed a version on stage. Even then, the move wasn’t new—it had been passed along, evolving from generation to generation. But the person most often credited with directly influencing Jackson was Jeffrey Daniel, a member of the R&B group Shalamar and a dance icon on the show Soul Train.

Daniel, along with fellow dancers Casper and Cooley, helped perfect a move then known as the “backslide.” He was widely known in the R&B dance community for his mastery of popping and locking. Jackson, a fan of Daniel’s work, reportedly watched him on Soul Train and later sought him out for lessons. Daniel eventually contributed choreography to Jackson’s Bad and Smooth Criminal videos.

In a 1982 performance on the UK show Top of the Pops, Daniel showcased his moonwalk. The clip is now widely seen as one of the clearest visual links between the street-born dance and Jackson’s interpretation. Daniel never claimed to have invented the move, emphasizing that it emerged organically from the popping and locking culture of the 1970s and early ’80s.

In Michael Jackson’s 1988 autobiography Moonwalk, he admitted that the move wasn’t his invention. “The moonwalk was already on the streets by this time,” he wrote, “a popping type thing that black kids had created dancing on the street corners in the ghetto.” He credited “three kids” for teaching him the move—presumably Daniel, Casper, and Cooley. Jackson practiced it and combined it with his own signature flair for maximum impact during Motown 25.

Despite the explosive success of the performance, Jackson himself wasn’t completely satisfied. He later revealed he had planned to spin and stop frozen on his toes but couldn’t hold the pose as long as he wanted. Backstage, even as he received thunderous applause and compliments, Jackson was disappointed in the details only a perfectionist would notice.

His worries, however, were unfounded. The day after the show aired, Fred Astaire called Jackson personally and told him, “You really put them on their asses last night. You’re an angry dancer. I’m the same way.” Later, Astaire and his longtime choreographer Hermes Pan invited Jackson over and analyzed his Billie Jean performance step-by-step. For Jackson, it was the greatest compliment he could have ever received.

The truth about the moonwalk is more fascinating than the myth. It is a move shaped by decades of cultural innovation, passed from foot to foot through stages, clubs, and street corners before reaching the global stage. While Michael Jackson didn’t invent it, he elevated it—transforming a grassroots dance into an unforgettable icon of pop history.