Monday, February 11, 2008

The Moonwalk vs. The Truffle Shuffle

Although fully capable of executing a variety of deft dance moves myself (the microwave, the straight-line sobriety test, the shopping cart, the sprinkler, the straight jacket, etc.), I lack the size and skill to pull off the majestic moves executed in the videos embedded below. Therefore, in my mind, that makes this case a very interesting one.





Both of these legendary moves became famous in the mid-'80s and were responsible for opening doors to their dancers' respective futures. In the case of Michael Jackson, the "Moonwalk" opened the doorway to major stardom. For Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen, the "Truffle Shuffle" was his ticket to opening a slightly more modest door...the one leading to his friend Mikey's house.

So let's breakdown the moves. The purpose of MJ's "Moonwalk" is to give the illusion that he is walking forward while in reality he is actually moving backwards. He accomplishes this feat through an impressive combination of both physical coordination and silky-smooth timing.

In contrast, the goal of the "Truffle Shuffle" is to maximize one's "jiggle." Due to Chunk's abundance of "junk in the trunk," he is wildly successful in achieving a Jell-O like state.

And there you have it. Though their momentous moves differ radically from one another, it is this courtroom's task to determine which dancer's fancy footwork is most beloved. Let the debate begin.

Final Verdict: The Moonwalk (9 vs. 4)

3 comments:

Alice said...

Just watch MJ's head while he shuffles. Freaky.

Anonymous said...

I prefer the one with the almost-shirtless boy... Do you like popsicles?

Anonymous said...

Heeeeey yoouuuuu guuuuys. Childhood obesity is an epidemic. A wonderful, beautiful, jiggly epidemic. God bless twinkies, and the truffle shuffle.