The move commonly referred to as the moonwalk today was originally known as the backslide or "walking on your toes". The move was made famous by dancer Michael Jackson.

 The moonwalk was the name of another dance now known as the "circle moonwalk". The step has two distinct types. One is called the turn walk. This is usually performed very quickly giving the impression that the dancer is walking quickly in a circle. The other circular moonwalk type is known as the 360 or Four-Corner Moonwalk and is often done much more slowly in a floating style. This involves sliding a heel back (usually the left heel), pivoting both heels to change direction, and then pivoting the non-sliding heel 45 degrees. Other moonwalk variants include the "sidewalk" or "side glide", in which the dancer appears to glide sideways, and the "spotwalk", in which the dancer appears to moonwalk in place.

The moonwalk was recorded as early as 1955 in a performance by tap dancer Bill Bailey.[3] The French mime, Marcel Marceau, used it throughout his career (from the 1940s through the 1980s), as part of the drama of his mime routines, such as in trying to chase a balloon, etc. James Brown used the move in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Jeffrey Daniel performed a self-made variation of the moonwalk in a performance of Shalamar's "A Night To Remember" on Top of the Pops in 1982. A member of the Electric Boogaloos performance group, Timothy 'Popin Pete' Solomon, also performed the dance move in the Talking Heads video 'Crosseyed And Painless', which aired around 1981. The bottom line is that from now on, you are representing Michael Jackson signature move for generations to come. Enjoy and good luck! Click on this link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEKFZhSrcKQ&NR=1