Legendary dancer and Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel has opened up about how he introduced Michael Jackson to the iconic moonwalk.
In a recent interview with Channels TV, Daniel recounted that Jackson first saw him performing the “backslide” on Soul Train in 1979 with his dance group, Eclipse.
“Well, I mean, it’s funny because now it’s in a totally new context. Michael saw me doing the backslide in ’79 on Soul Train,” Daniel said.
The following year, Jackson reportedly approached Daniel at Disneyland, where his group was performing, to learn from him. “He brought little Janet Jackson and they stood in the wing and watched us dance. Then he asked me to teach him to dance,” Daniel recalled.
This meeting marked the start of a long-standing professional relationship that lasted over 20 years. Daniel worked closely with Jackson on numerous projects, including choreographing videos for Beat It and Smooth Criminal, traveling to Brazil for They Don’t Really Care About Us, and contributing to Ghosts. He also served as an A&R and creative consultant at Jackson’s record label, MJJ Music.
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“I worked with Michael over a 20-year period, and the last job I had in America was at MJJ Music, his record company, as A&R and creative consultant,” Daniel said.
In a surprising revelation, Daniel shared that he and Jackson were actually cousins—a fact he only discovered later in life. “Because my father didn’t raise me, but in 2008, my father showed me my family tree, and I found out that I’m Michael’s cousin. So all the years we were working together, I never knew that we were related to the Jacksons.
“We now call each other cousin all the time. We speak — Jermaine Jackson, Janet, Randy, and the older sister, Rebe. We call each other cousins all the time. But all the time we were working, I never knew we were related,” he explained.
Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is celebrated for transforming music and dance with his groundbreaking choreography and hit albums like Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. Jeffrey Daniel’s choreography played a pivotal role in shaping Jackson’s unforgettable music videos and live performances, leaving a lasting legacy in the entertainment industry.
