Fight Clip Club: Beat It

No one wants to be defeated.

When I was an adolescent kid, I was a dancer. Way before I found combat arts and martial arts in my early 20s, I took all my Mom’s dance classes until I aged out of them, and continued my education in dance history and etc. as I grew up in live theatre. When I was transitioning from elementary school to junior high, and dance to theatre, all girls (and most boys) my age were either obsessed with Duran Duran, or Michael Jackson. I was a Michael Jackson fangirl,* down to the single white rhinestone glove, and of course I was focused on learning his incredible dances.

“Billie Jean” was life-changing to the dance world, both the video and Jackson’s now-legendary performance on the Grammys in…was that the 1983 one, or 1984? Anyway. And of course the phenomenal zombie dance sequence in “Thriller” has echoed down the ages as one of the most iconic dance pieces ever created. But, lest we forget: “Beat It” came first, and as far as excellent choreography, it’s just as great as “Thriller” and I feel like it should be just as iconic.

*I did become an enormous Duran Duran fan, but that happened later, right around when their album Notorious was about to come out.

Meet me below the paywall, and let’s talk about the final fight sequence in this video. But actually, I highly recommend watching the whole video, as it shows clearly, in dance, how the tension builds into the eruption of the fight itself. Show me how funky and strong is your fight…

Fight Clip Club is the only series on Zuko’s Musings that is paywalled. To join in the fun, upgrade to paid. Or if you can’t manage the fee, let me know and I’ll let you in.