Fosse doing Fosse, it doesn't get better than this. He was such a unique and influential choreographer that people tend to forget he was also one hell of a fine dancer.
I had to come back and watch this again. Fosse was absolutely BRILLIANT. This is amazing. And yes Michael studied the greats like any smart entertainer before or after him would. Fosse is using flamingo, jazz, ballet...all kinds of moves here. Lovers of the arts..true lovers of anything really.. are sponges and will soak up everything.
Fosse was a superb dancer and an even better choreographer. If I had to pick one performance as the "definitive" Bob Fosse, it would be this one. All the elements of his genius are displayed here.
@@lauravazquezgonzalez8207 But in the song he refers to himself as "The Lord's" "fallen old chum" and later the pilot says that he's hated humanity from the beginning
There’s something so cool yet almost disturbing about seeing such recognisably MJ moves being by someone else, and before MJ even used them. Fosse delivering as always.
Gargan Mosil I challenge you to become greater than this, then. BTW, how is this shit bad if Michael Jackson himself heavily studied Bob Fossie's dancing? He did add his own flavor and make it his own, but that doesn't negate where his moves originated from. GTFOH.
Yes. Michael Jackson LOVED Bob Fosse. Bob Fosse was immensely successful and did a life time of movies and performing. Michael Jackson likely saw him for the first time in, "The Little Prince," since it was released when Jackson was a child. Most great things are built on other great things in life.
Michael had the same access to Bob Fosse's 1950's work as I did in afternoon and late night TV rerun. I couldn't get enough of Fosse even when I didn't know his name and Gwen Verdon too.
He filmed this just after finishing Pippin, Cabaret, and Liza with a Z. He would soon win the Tony, Oscar, and Emmy all within a few months. Fosse was brimming with talent in 1971-72.
He appropriated them, not stole. I mean, if you want to get technical, nobody can copyright a dance move or trademark a body silhouette. To be slightly less clinical, MJ's genius was to steal from his myriad disparate influences, mix them all up, apply them with deft precision and knowledge of his craft, and come out in the end as something uniquely singular. He was like his hero Walt Disney in this regard, or Andy Warhol or George Lucas or any number of history's truest, most innovative artists/entertainers. There is something to be said for homage. All the greats "steal," I mean, nobody is creating in a totally fresh artistic vacuum. We take what came before and we add ourselves to it. "Nothing is new under the sun." That's the BIBLE, son!
Michael's note to himself read "study the greats and become greater" which is exactly what he did. Every great artist stands on the shoulders of those who came before...don't you know....
I love your comment! All credit to Fosse for his brilliant choreography. If we didn't have great dancers like Fosse, James Brown, Jean Kelly how would MJ have perfectef his dancing skills!
Seth Corbin Yes Michael is an amazing dancer and artist but he did study dance and Fosse. Before Fosse, the dances were also great but he made a change with different and unique moves no one has seen before, Michael does have his differences in dance but was influenced by Fosse. People may not dance like this anymore or as much but this made a change. Your opinion is your own and mine is my own. Sorry if this comment seemed as a attack or hate towards you in anyway didnt mean for it to 😊. I respect your opinion because it's yours. (I found out about Fosse in my drama class and personally Im glad I did)
Seth Corbin Alright I see Michaels dance moves from billie jeans, smooth criminal and so on are different and arent exactly the same but you can kind of see the influence of dance and color because of the outfit with black and white to create contrast. So Im not arguing with you and sorry if this was rude in anyway to you. Just wasn't sure if you knew about the influenced thing, sorry.
@8mycrab I'm glad you mentioned this quote, because I was very concerned. I looked all over the internet for information about Michael and Bob and never found anything that linked them directly. I know Michael always spoke of Fred Astaire and James Brown. I'm glad to know that he did acknowledge Fosse too.
Saw this as a child when it came out, visiting today because of a video with Margaret Qualley dancing where she said she was inspired by this. Terrible movie with a couple of truly magical numbers!
Me too! (To the Margaret Qualley part) I've never seen this but, wow... and isn't it incredible the almost (if not total) universal reaction of everyone seeing MJ here. I'm watching, thinking it, then come down to the comments, and sure enough! It's wild. How did you like that Bleachers video? Pretty amazing, too, huh? I didn't know much of anything about MQ, but it's been interesting catching up.
Why are so many people talking about whether Michael Jackson stole anything from Bob Fosse or got inspiration from it? Artists imitate and pay homage to each other all the time, can't we just appreciate that they were both incredible dancers and giants in their own fields of entertainment who both deserve to be remembered, recognisd and honoured?
I checked the choreographer of Little Prince. And I got what I expected: Ronn Forella and Bob Fosse. I can bet that Mr. Forella made the choreography for the whole film, and Mr. Fosse made that for his own dance. This dance was so him! And I could not imagine he would have been willing to let anybody else chip on his work!
so great.. This is basic a talk about suicide... the snake is like the voice of depression ofering a quick and tempting solution to sorrow, and it is the friendly and sweet voice of a con artist.... this is so sad in so many levels...
If you did a little research you'd know that Jackson was open about his love for Fosse. He even asked Fosse to direct Smooth Criminal and Thriller. Any dancers back me up on this. Dance is about fusion. Any dancer starts off as a kid watching moves and copying them. Then you put your influences together. You put your spin on the moves and something new comes along. Nobody, dancer, singer, whatever, comes up with shit completely on their own. They all have influences. Choreography was put under copyright laws in 1978. It's all public domain before that. That Little Prince routine was hard tango.
Fosse was a brilliant talent no doubt about it but a lot of these Jackson detractors forget is one big element that Jackson did something Fosse didn't do here: He made the dance moves cool. Fosse wasn't being cool here. Just goofy. Jackson however added those important elements of coolness, style and presentation that Fosse did not have. That's the reason Jackson left such an enormous impression and Fosse did not.
I was referring to this: "That's the reason Jackson left such an enormous impression and Fosse did not" It wasn't just copying every move that made Jackson famous, MJ would not have been so popular, not have made such an impression, without Quincy Jones greasing the wheels. He supremely impacted MJ's popularity.
elektonics You're changing the subject because you want to diminish Jackson's talents. Jones was a mentor to Jackson. Guess what? Everyone great has mentors. So it's completely pointless to mention. You're grasping at straws.
Michael Jackson was very open about the fact that he studied and learned from the masters including Fosse. He never hid it nor denied it per his famous note "Get all Bob Fosse movie dances and study inside and out." Everyone who knew him described Michael as a sponge - always curious, always learning, always perfecting. He did the same with Astaire, Kelly, Brown, Wilson, the Nicholas brothers, etc. He watched and then he created his own style. That's how an artist develops his craft. The negativity from some here is rubbish.
+Diane Anderson Thank you. The comments here are absolutely ridiculous. Everybody knows how much Michael loved Fosse. And these poses Fosse is doing here are similar to the choreography he did for Ben Vereen, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Liza Minnelli. All also influences and friends of Michael. The beginning of Billie Jean is very much like a Fosse pose.
+Diane Anderson If Michael Jackson was so open about it....why had I never heard about it before now? I just randomly found this video. I'm sure he admitted it because he had to....but it's been pretty much been kept secret. I bet less than 1% of the population knows that this white man did all of Jackson's moves first.
EasyThere Pilgrim I don't know why you didn't hear about it. I've been hearing Michael talk about Astaire, Kelly, Fosse and lots of others since the 70's. Liza Minnelli was Fosse's protege and she and Michael shared dance moves together. The pose at the beginning of "Billie Jean" is classic Fosse created for Ben Vereen in Pippin. Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is Fosse choreography that he created for his wife, Gwen Verdon.
barbee0715 I think that by mentioning James Brown, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and a dozen other guys....Jackson was obscuring the fact that his moves and style were really of Fosse.
Fantastic WTF through MJ we will never forget Bob MJ kept Bob moves alive to show the next generation the brilliant moves modified by MJ many artists moving like MJ so they both will never be forgotten.
Fosse has his own legacy without MJ. He directed/choreographed some of the most popular Broadway shows (THE PAJAMA GAME, DAMN YANKEES, SWEET CHARITY, CHICAGO) and won an Oscar for directing the film version of CABARET. He's a titan in the Broadway and dance communities. Anyone who's presently a dancer has heard of him and has taken inspiration from him. Not just in the US, but the world over.
If you would like to cure The fever called life Get some relief From all the struggle and strife The grandest medicine That I can propose Is under your nose A snake in the grass If you would like a spot Where life never goes Where you can leave your body Home in your clothes The finest travel agent You’ll ever meet Is right at your feet A snake in the grass One sting And you can say goodbye to all of your friends One sting And you’ll be singing as your spirit ascends Alls well that ends So any day or night Wherever you are If you would like to take A trip to a star The quickest transportation Yet known to man Is none other than A snake in the grass A snake in the grass A snake in the grass If you would like to leave That inhuman race And take up residence Out yonder in space When you are ready To go traveling on Sit right down upon A snake in the grass One sting Is quite enough To make you happy And free One sting And you’ll discover How relaxed you can be Posthumously And while you’re wandering Through the heavenly blue If you should see the Lord Come strolling in view Go up and say You bring Him best wishes From his fallen old chum A snake in the grass A snake in the grass A snake in the grass One sting It’s almost painless A snake in the grass A snake in the grass A snake in the grass I’ll be waiting
I have never seen this footage or even knew of it. But always admired Bob Fosse's creativity. This reminds me so much of Michael Jackson as well. And why not, why not emulate the master, Mr. Fosse. This makes one wistful for yesteryear. Dancers are too precise or too perfect. I once heard that Bob Fosse would love to cover imperfections with his hat covering his lack of hair etc....it made him human and vulnerable. And you can't help but watch with awe.
So were they just like "do whatever, we'll fix it in post" and then he just did the jazz of dance and they kept it long and added rattles and hissing sounds?
Wow it does look very similar! did Michael ever mention that Bob Fosse was one of his influences? he always talked about James brown, jackie wilson, Fred Astaire and others. but i don't remember him talking about Fosse, correct me if i'm wrong because i'm not sure. Either way both of them were great dancers!
scott walker I myself learned to moonwalk from a guy named Kenny something while we mopped the dining room floors in a Shoney's Big Boy at 2 am sometime in early 1981. The wet floors,greasy shoes and nitrous oxide made it easy. What struck me was that the cracked video shows MJ debuting his moonwalk in '83 so Kenny,and then me, beat him to it by 2 years! I was stationed at Virginia Beach,Va. by the time Billie Jean came out and shocked the hell out of my jarhead buddies and everyone else when I could do that cool dance move. MTV and the solo Micheal Jackson were both brand new and I was a moonwalking bad ass motherfucker that got laid regularly off that thing. I can still moonwalk, kind of, but nobody wants to fuck me anymore for it. Such is life
It's weird how a legendary dancer's cameo in a long-forgotten, 1970s children's film could spark such heated debate. And like most TH-cam debates, it doesn't take long for the whole thing to turn wildly absurd. OF COURSE MJ was influenced by Fosse. Fosse inspired literally EVERY dancer who came of age during the1960s and 1970s. The guy was a Broadway ICON. To say that MJ "ripped off" Fosse is like saying that a jazz musician playing trumpet is "ripping off" Miles Davis; there's a PRETTY GOOD chance that Miles is alredy his #1 influence. Nobody was more flattered by MJ's Fosse-style dancing in the "Billie Jean" video than Fosse himself. But to say that MJ's style was "stolen" from Fosse is not only false, but it ignores: a) MJ had a multitude of dancing influences, chief among them Fosse, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and James Brown; b) MJ heavily incorporated popping into his dancing, a style that you won't find in any of Fosse's jazz-influenced choreography.
Sure, Michael Jackson learned from this guy, but he gave it a snap and polish that took it to another level. There's a big difference between stealing and being influenced and improving upon something, and Jackson had super mad dance skills.
@lukestur we are currently reading it and watched the movie a few days ago....im like in love with this part...and gene wilders bit...."will you play with me?" ".....no"
Michael may have been open about being inspired by Fosse but he sure as hell wasn't open about letting the world know he based his signature moves on this one routine. Fosse invented endless dance routines and moves. Michael pretty much stuck to this one style Fosse created for this one routine.
I also love this dance number too. At the end Bob F has a tail of rattlesnake rattlesnakes. I wonder how I can see many more of his dance numbers, danced by him. In the Rich Man's Frug, totally Fossie style, of dancing. He was choreographer. Ssssssssnake in the grass. Brilliant!!!
If you just played the audio of this without showing the visual footage, and you told me it was an evil Gene Wilder voicing the Snake, I'd probably believe it. They sound so similar it's unsettling! 😮
'I complained that I had not stayed on my toes like I'd wanted on Motown 25, Bob Fosse told me later, "Michael, it's never the steps that are important. It's the style". Moonwalker by Michael Jackson'
just casually risking his life on top of rocks in the middle of the desert to benefit pop stars in the future
😂 true
I love the subtle joke of sprinkling sand on the ground to do a softshoe when the ground is made up entirely of sand.
Bob Fosse, the man for whom the restrictions of bones and joints were an optional extra
Fosse doing Fosse, it doesn't get better than this. He was such a unique and influential choreographer that people tend to forget he was also one hell of a fine dancer.
I agree with you! All I have to do is watch Who's Got the Pain, not to mention his work in My Sister Eileen!
Seeing all the classic Fosse moves - being done to Perfection by the master himself!!
I had to come back and watch this again. Fosse was absolutely BRILLIANT.
This is amazing. And yes Michael studied the greats like any smart entertainer before or after him would. Fosse is using flamingo, jazz, ballet...all kinds of moves here. Lovers of the arts..true lovers of anything really.. are sponges and will soak up everything.
Flamenco. Flamingo dancing involves way more feathers
Fosse was a superb dancer and an even better choreographer. If I had to pick one performance as the "definitive" Bob Fosse, it would be this one. All the elements of his genius are displayed here.
Boy, Satan sure is a good dancer
lol yes
The Devil always has the best moves and the best lines
Actually, he the snake represents the Death.
@@lauravazquezgonzalez8207 But in the song he refers to himself as "The Lord's" "fallen old chum" and later the pilot says that he's hated humanity from the beginning
@@christopherbacon1077 Mmmh,... That's a good point.
There’s something so cool yet almost disturbing about seeing such recognisably MJ moves being by someone else, and before MJ even used them. Fosse delivering as always.
Wow! When I saw this I was surprised. I wonder, what do people think when they see this?
This is where Michael got his dance moves for the Motown 25 performance when he did billie jean. His producers talk about it.
Michael Jackson did say that Fosse was an inspiration for many of his moves.
Why disturbing?
MJs moves? 😂😂😂😂😂😂 He stole them from Fosse, the real creative genius. MJ was just a common thief.
Damn, I thought Gene Kelly "Singing In the Rain" performance was unmatched until I ran into this.
It makes sense that Michael Jackson had his whole 'Smooth Criminal' thing underlying his moves when it was based on this evil snake/devil style.
"Study The Greats And Become Greater"
- Michael Jackson
Gargan Mosil I challenge you to become greater than this, then. BTW, how is this shit bad if Michael Jackson himself heavily studied Bob Fossie's dancing? He did add his own flavor and make it his own, but that doesn't negate where his moves originated from. GTFOH.
The singing is bad. The dancing, not so much.
@Gargan Mosil wrong
@@alexgeorge3068 The singing is exactly the level the song needs, no more no less
Gargan Mosil wrong. You simply don’t get Fosse. Jackson’s moves? All Fosse. Fosse has inspired every dancer since.
What a fabulous dance routine! Bob definitely inspired generations with this slinky, sleazy number!
Yes. Michael Jackson LOVED Bob Fosse. Bob Fosse was immensely successful and did a life time of movies and performing. Michael Jackson likely saw him for the first time in, "The Little Prince," since it was released when Jackson was a child. Most great things are built on other great things in life.
Michael had the same access to Bob Fosse's 1950's work as I did in afternoon and late night TV rerun. I couldn't get enough of Fosse even when I didn't know his name and Gwen Verdon too.
Michael was already 16 in 1974.
I don't know why you would think that this would be the first time Michael lay eyes on Fosse?
I guess nobody thought that making a musical movie about a world's great book would spark so many discussions about Michael Jackson 40 years later.
Fosse doing Fosse. It doesn't get any better than this.
That walk. He looks like he is enjoying himself. :)
He filmed this just after finishing Pippin, Cabaret, and Liza with a Z. He would soon win the Tony, Oscar, and Emmy all within a few months. Fosse was brimming with talent in 1971-72.
I'd never seen this before - it's BRILLIANT!
Dude's kinda moonwalking around 5:00. Kind of cool to see the influence.
So this is where michael Jackson got his moves...? lol That sneaky michael. Genius. Great video.
Thank you for posting this. All I can say is that sometimes I feel like the pilot, sometimes the fox-and often the snake.
Watch this in French class a year ago, still the best thing ever
I don't even care about Michael Jackson stealing these moves, I love the song and the slick dance moves that went with it. Bob fosse is awesome.
He appropriated them, not stole. I mean, if you want to get technical, nobody can copyright a dance move or trademark a body silhouette.
To be slightly less clinical, MJ's genius was to steal from his myriad disparate influences, mix them all up, apply them with deft precision and knowledge of his craft, and come out in the end as something uniquely singular. He was like his hero Walt Disney in this regard, or Andy Warhol or George Lucas or any number of history's truest, most innovative artists/entertainers.
There is something to be said for homage. All the greats "steal," I mean, nobody is creating in a totally fresh artistic vacuum. We take what came before and we add ourselves to it. "Nothing is new under the sun." That's the BIBLE, son!
I agree with your main point, though. It is awesome. 😋
Jackson stole only from the best of the best, because that's what he wanted to be.
And that's _exactly_ what he became.
I agree
Is not stealing, is being inspired by.
Everyone’s talking about MJ but no one is talking about how SICK this song is
Agreed. I enjoy it.
Very much agreeing
Sick?
It's actually quite the cure!
‘One ssssssssting’ 😂😫 that part always gets me
Michael's note to himself read "study the greats and become greater" which is exactly what he did. Every great artist stands on the shoulders of those who came before...don't you know....
I love your comment! All credit to Fosse for his brilliant choreography. If we didn't have great dancers like Fosse, James Brown, Jean Kelly how would MJ have perfectef his dancing skills!
Seth Corbin
Yes Michael is an amazing dancer and artist but he did study dance and Fosse. Before Fosse, the dances were also great but he made a change with different and unique moves no one has seen before, Michael does have his differences in dance but was influenced by Fosse. People may not dance like this anymore or as much but this made a change. Your opinion is your own and mine is my own. Sorry if this comment seemed as a attack or hate towards you in anyway didnt mean for it to 😊. I respect your opinion because it's yours.
(I found out about Fosse in my drama class and personally Im glad I did)
Seth Corbin
Alright I see Michaels dance moves from billie jeans, smooth criminal and so on are different and arent exactly the same but you can kind of see the influence of dance and color because of the outfit with black and white to create contrast. So Im not arguing with you and sorry if this was rude in anyway to you. Just wasn't sure if you knew about the influenced thing, sorry.
i'll always and forever love this song
Now this is the ultimate talent and choreography!
I don't blame Jackson for biting this. That look and those moves are damned cool.
*biting this ? He was inspired and always gave credit.*
bite he stole the whole dinner
@@time558 michael was a pedophile who stole dance moves from fosse and jeffrey daniels fact
@8mycrab
I'm glad you mentioned this quote, because I was very concerned. I looked all over the internet for information about Michael and Bob and never found anything that linked them directly. I know Michael always spoke of Fred Astaire and James Brown. I'm glad to know that he did acknowledge Fosse too.
my most fav song ever
“We’re all the way out here in Death Valley and we have to do these takes how many times?!!”
Saw this as a child when it came out, visiting today because of a video with Margaret Qualley dancing where she said she was inspired by this. Terrible movie with a couple of truly magical numbers!
Me too! (To the Margaret Qualley part) I've never seen this but, wow... and isn't it incredible the almost (if not total) universal reaction of everyone seeing MJ here. I'm watching, thinking it, then come down to the comments, and sure enough! It's wild. How did you like that Bleachers video? Pretty amazing, too, huh? I didn't know much of anything about MQ, but it's been interesting catching up.
I never got the 'Satan' connection thing in the book. I always just thought the snake represented death
It represents death in this story -- and the evils of the world vs the innocence of the Prince. Not Satan, specifically.
Happy Birthday, Bob!!!
The great Bob Fosse.♥️♥️♥️
Why are so many people talking about whether Michael Jackson stole anything from Bob Fosse or got inspiration from it? Artists imitate and pay homage to each other all the time, can't we just appreciate that they were both incredible dancers and giants in their own fields of entertainment who both deserve to be remembered, recognisd and honoured?
My GOSSSHHH! 5:35 to 5:40 is EPIC! TRULY A LEGEND!
Aaah the Bob Fosse hand-twirl
The epitome of cool!
I checked the choreographer of Little Prince. And I got what I expected: Ronn Forella and Bob Fosse. I can bet that Mr. Forella made the choreography for the whole film, and Mr. Fosse made that for his own dance. This dance was so him! And I could not imagine he would have been willing to let anybody else chip on his work!
‘Study the greats and become greater’
~ Michael Jackson
He didn’t just say that for no reason
I was four or five when I was this on TV and this dance number scared me!
We're talking about this live!
tmw the song and dance sequence that's been stuck in your mind since age 5 was none other than Bob Fosse
God, I miss Bob Fosse
so great.. This is basic a talk about suicide... the snake is like the voice of depression ofering a quick and tempting solution to sorrow, and it is the friendly and sweet voice of a con artist.... this is so sad in so many levels...
this is the influence for 80's-90's Michael Jackson.
+Gareth Hall While I agree with your overall statement, the Anti-Gravity Lean was used by the Tin Man in MGM's "Wizard of Oz."
Necromancer66
Yup
“You sseem like ssmart ssensible sorrt. All you can learn here is sorrow”
Faaaawk .. just discovered this 🤦🏿♂️and
I was born May 29th 1972 @ 6:30 a.m. 🙏🏿
"one stinnnnnnnnnng and you could say goodbye to all of your friends!!"
Dear Bob Fosse, I love you.
If you did a little research you'd know that Jackson was open about his love for Fosse. He even asked Fosse to direct Smooth Criminal and Thriller.
Any dancers back me up on this. Dance is about fusion. Any dancer starts off as a kid watching moves and copying them. Then you put your influences together. You put your spin on the moves and something new comes along.
Nobody, dancer, singer, whatever, comes up with shit completely on their own. They all have influences.
Choreography was put under copyright laws in 1978. It's all public domain before that.
That Little Prince routine was hard tango.
Fosse was a brilliant talent no doubt about it but a lot of these Jackson detractors forget is one big element that Jackson did something Fosse didn't do here: He made the dance moves cool. Fosse wasn't being cool here. Just goofy. Jackson however added those important elements of coolness, style and presentation that Fosse did not have. That's the reason Jackson left such an enormous impression and Fosse did not.
DaRunningMan - Lol, you forgot to mention Quincy Jones.
elektonics We're talking about the dance not one of the producers of the song.
I was referring to this: "That's the reason Jackson left such an enormous impression and Fosse did not"
It wasn't just copying every move that made Jackson famous, MJ would not have been so popular, not have made such an impression, without Quincy Jones greasing the wheels. He supremely impacted MJ's popularity.
elektonics You're changing the subject because you want to diminish Jackson's talents. Jones was a mentor to Jackson. Guess what? Everyone great has mentors. So it's completely pointless to mention. You're grasping at straws.
Michael Jackson was very open about the fact that he studied and learned from the masters including Fosse. He never hid it nor denied it per his famous note "Get all Bob Fosse movie dances and study inside and out." Everyone who knew him described Michael as a sponge - always curious, always learning, always perfecting. He did the same with Astaire, Kelly, Brown, Wilson, the Nicholas brothers, etc. He watched and then he created his own style. That's how an artist develops his craft. The negativity from some here is rubbish.
+Diane Anderson Thank you. The comments here are absolutely ridiculous. Everybody knows how much Michael loved Fosse. And these poses Fosse is doing here are similar to the choreography he did for Ben Vereen, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Liza Minnelli. All also influences and friends of Michael. The beginning of Billie Jean is very much like a Fosse pose.
+barbee0715 The ignorant are too busy putting others down to research facts so they just fabricate. Seems to be a trend these days.
+Diane Anderson If Michael Jackson was so open about it....why had I never heard about it before now? I just randomly found this video. I'm sure he admitted it because he had to....but it's been pretty much been kept secret. I bet less than 1% of the population knows that this white man did all of Jackson's moves first.
EasyThere Pilgrim I don't know why you didn't hear about it. I've been hearing Michael talk about Astaire, Kelly, Fosse and lots of others since the 70's. Liza Minnelli was Fosse's protege and she and Michael shared dance moves together. The pose at the beginning of "Billie Jean" is classic Fosse created for Ben Vereen in Pippin.
Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is Fosse choreography that he created for his wife, Gwen Verdon.
barbee0715 I think that by mentioning James Brown, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and a dozen other guys....Jackson was obscuring the fact that his moves and style were really of Fosse.
Fantastic WTF through MJ we will never forget Bob MJ kept Bob moves alive to show the next generation the brilliant moves modified by MJ many artists moving like MJ so they both will never be forgotten.
Fosse has his own legacy without MJ. He directed/choreographed some of the most popular Broadway shows (THE PAJAMA GAME, DAMN YANKEES, SWEET CHARITY, CHICAGO) and won an Oscar for directing the film version of CABARET. He's a titan in the Broadway and dance communities. Anyone who's presently a dancer has heard of him and has taken inspiration from him. Not just in the US, but the world over.
trust in me ..... just in me ......
"MORPHINE!!!!"
Neil Patrick Harris should do a revision of this scene
JDBW But can NPH dance like this?
No
Oh! Id sure like to see that. Thanks for the visual.
th-cam.com/video/JAw9dDL9fjk/w-d-xo.html
I would love to see it! Already in love with this
If you would like to cure
The fever called life
Get some relief
From all the struggle and strife
The grandest medicine
That I can propose
Is under your nose
A snake in the grass
If you would like a spot
Where life never goes
Where you can leave your body
Home in your clothes
The finest travel agent
You’ll ever meet
Is right at your feet
A snake in the grass
One sting
And you can say goodbye to all of your friends
One sting
And you’ll be singing as your spirit ascends
Alls well that ends
So any day or night
Wherever you are
If you would like to take
A trip to a star
The quickest transportation
Yet known to man
Is none other than
A snake in the grass
A snake in the grass
A snake in the grass
If you would like to leave
That inhuman race
And take up residence
Out yonder in space
When you are ready
To go traveling on
Sit right down upon
A snake in the grass
One sting
Is quite enough
To make you happy
And free
One sting
And you’ll discover
How relaxed you can be
Posthumously
And while you’re wandering
Through the heavenly blue
If you should see the Lord
Come strolling in view
Go up and say
You bring Him best wishes
From his fallen old chum
A snake in the grass
A snake in the grass
A snake in the grass
One sting
It’s almost painless
A snake in the grass
A snake in the grass
A snake in the grass
I’ll be waiting
Wow, just loveed watching this number by Bob Fossie 😍.
Amazing dance and performance !!!
Mothafuckas got moves... dayum!
This made me a fosse fan for life
Cabaret , Chicago , & All that Jazz!
Let's not forget Pippen, Liza with a Z, Lenny and Sweet Charity!
Papa Lo sent me here 🤣
I have never seen this footage or even knew of it. But always admired Bob Fosse's creativity. This reminds me so much of Michael Jackson as well. And why not, why not emulate the master, Mr. Fosse. This makes one wistful for yesteryear. Dancers are too precise or too perfect. I once heard that Bob Fosse would love to cover imperfections with his hat covering his lack of hair etc....it made him human and vulnerable. And you can't help but watch with awe.
“Study the greats and become greater.”-Michael Jackson❤
Greater lol. But it’s a crime for Rolling Stones and Beatles to cover artists just like many did in that same era?
scared the absolute bejesus out of me as a child
I wanted to be Jeff Goldblum when I grew up...but I wound up Bob Fosse...
I get it!
So were they just like "do whatever, we'll fix it in post" and then he just did the jazz of dance and they kept it long and added rattles and hissing sounds?
Wow it does look very similar!
did Michael ever mention that Bob Fosse was one of his influences? he always talked about James brown, jackie wilson, Fred Astaire and others. but i don't remember him talking about Fosse, correct me if i'm wrong because i'm not sure.
Either way both of them were great dancers!
in a biography
michael borrowed from everywhere
In his autobiography.
he never mentioned his true inspirations
Funnily enough, there's no grass in the landscape!
Cracked sent me here.lol
what article? youtube is sending me the links before i read the articles, he knows about my preferences! he can stare into my SOUL! :O
scott walker I myself learned to moonwalk from a guy named Kenny something while we mopped the dining room floors in a Shoney's Big Boy at 2 am sometime in early 1981. The wet floors,greasy shoes and nitrous oxide made it easy. What struck me was that the cracked video shows MJ debuting his moonwalk in '83 so Kenny,and then me, beat him to it by 2 years! I was stationed at Virginia Beach,Va. by the time Billie Jean came out and shocked the hell out of my jarhead buddies and everyone else when I could do that cool dance move. MTV and the solo Micheal Jackson were both brand new and I was a moonwalking bad ass motherfucker that got laid regularly off that thing. I can still moonwalk, kind of, but nobody wants to fuck me anymore for it. Such is life
one ssstinnnnnnng!
It's weird how a legendary dancer's cameo in a long-forgotten, 1970s children's film could spark such heated debate. And like most TH-cam debates, it doesn't take long for the whole thing to turn wildly absurd.
OF COURSE MJ was influenced by Fosse. Fosse inspired literally EVERY dancer who came of age during the1960s and 1970s. The guy was a Broadway ICON. To say that MJ "ripped off" Fosse is like saying that a jazz musician playing trumpet is "ripping off" Miles Davis; there's a PRETTY GOOD chance that Miles is alredy his #1 influence.
Nobody was more flattered by MJ's Fosse-style dancing in the "Billie Jean" video than Fosse himself. But to say that MJ's style was "stolen" from Fosse is not only false, but it ignores: a) MJ had a multitude of dancing influences, chief among them Fosse, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and James Brown; b) MJ heavily incorporated popping into his dancing, a style that you won't find in any of Fosse's jazz-influenced choreography.
Oh, its just that every MJ move and posture is in this one video.
Sure, Michael Jackson learned from this guy, but he gave it a snap and polish that took it to another level. There's a big difference between stealing and being influenced and improving upon something, and Jackson had super mad dance skills.
These moves make more sense when its about portraying a snake or snake dance.
The way he walked in the beginning scared the shit outta me. Imagine seeing a tall man at night in your house walking like that😱
CultOfDusty
Yup I just came from that video too haha
LOGIC
+samuel bekele It's a bit creepy that MJ's dancing was inspired by a character who is trying to seduce a young boy. Amazing dancing still.
+TheHoodmailbox he's not seducing him, he wants to kill him
Right, this is more like Kaa from Jungle book singing Mowgli into a trance in order to eat him. He's just trying to be all sinuous, not sexual.
@lukestur we are currently reading it and watched the movie a few days ago....im like in love with this part...and gene wilders bit...."will you play with me?" ".....no"
Michael may have been open about being inspired by Fosse but he sure as hell wasn't open about letting the world know he based his signature moves on this one routine. Fosse invented endless dance routines and moves. Michael pretty much stuck to this one style Fosse created for this one routine.
Then you've never seen a performance of his, because he did way more than what you all are trying to claim he stole.
I also love this dance number too. At the end Bob F has a tail of rattlesnake rattlesnakes. I wonder how I can see many more of his dance numbers, danced by him. In the Rich Man's Frug, totally Fossie style, of dancing. He was choreographer. Ssssssssnake in the grass. Brilliant!!!
oh even the shoes and hat idea, also he got his moonwalk from 1980's soul train show :) but hey in MJ's credit he improved on the moves :_)
th-cam.com/video/y71njpDH3co/w-d-xo.html
Michael wore loafers and socks. Stop !
This is where MJ got his dance skillings
Damn ...Micheal Jax, lol you even named your kid Prince lol Now it all makes sense lol
+Merci Merc Michael named his son Prince after Katherine Jackson's father who was named Prince. Had nothing to do with this movie.
If you just played the audio of this without showing the visual footage, and you told me it was an evil Gene Wilder voicing the Snake, I'd probably believe it. They sound so similar it's unsettling! 😮
Gene is in this movie too, in a different role as the fox!
Crowley, is that you?
Fosse in his prime, what's not to like!
One of Fosse's Best!
Such an example of the clever demon. Odd and disturbing
i think from memory MJ did mention Bob Fosse in his auto bio...aswell as a couple of others...will have to go check it i think...
Love it!
masterpiece 🙌🙌👏👏
beatifulsssssssss
Mike was very husssssh husssssh about where he got all his moves from
No, no he wasn't. He was very open about having studied with Fosse, and his other inspirations.
not true
he hardly ever said fosse even though fosse makes up 95% of his style
Fosse did this cameo as a favor to director Stanley Donen.
Thia was on my music lesson in school😅(georgia)
The interaction between the snake and the prince is disturbing, both in the book and in this movie. That said, Fosse is always delightful to watch.
Wow, .5:00.. down to the moonwalk.... I lived this in absolute real time and had no idea.
I guess a snakebite can also be considered a sting...
That guy sounds like Gene Wilder.
Funny Gene Wilder is actually in this movie, also lol.
The fox
'I complained that I had not stayed on my toes like I'd wanted on Motown 25, Bob Fosse told me later, "Michael, it's never the steps that are important. It's the style". Moonwalker by Michael Jackson'