When it comes to performance values, Michael Jackson really did have the art of showmanship all sewn up – little wonder given he’d been headlining with the Jackson Five since he was knee-high to a grass-hopper.

Whilst always a groover, his talent as a dancer really came into its own during his solo career, with infectious disco-inspired tracks like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” giving audiences a taste of what was to come.

It was Jackson’s 1982 album “Thriller” that really changed things. Thriller broke all records for album sales and spent over two years in the charts, crowning Michael the undisputed King of Pop. But his legacy didn’t end there. With compelling plots, eye-popping routines, amazing costumes and armies of supporting dancers, Michael Jackson turned the concept of the music video completely on its head.

I was about ten when the video for the Thriller single was released in 1983 and I still remember the mania that surrounded it. It was even launched with a prime-time ‘premiere’ on national TV… a MASSIVE deal given we only had four telly channels to choose from back then! Half petrified, half amazed, I watched open-mouthed as a zombified Jackson and his corps-de-undead made shapes like I’d never seen before, nor since.

Click here to watch Michael Jackson in the video for Thriller.

Michael Jackson wowed the world with his cutting edge dance style in lots of other videos like Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean and Beat It, not to mention his explosive live stage-shows. So for his breath-taking choreography peppered by signature moves such as the famous moon-walk, crotch-grab and gravity defying leans, Michael Jackson makes it onto the SK Dance Studio Top 10 Dancers of All Time list.