The Smooth ‘Secret’ – How Michael Jackson Defied Gravity

Micheal Jackson is famous the world over for the anti-gravity lean that he would perform so well. Word is that Micheal Jackson had great assistance in doing so by the special shoe that he invented. This special shoe is said to have had a heel slotted in it which would slide onto the bolts protruding from the stage. Apparently, this would create what is more technically known as the dovetail joint between the stage and the dancer.

In order to gain exclusive rights to this particular shoe, Micheal Jackson went on and had them patented in 1993. The two co-inventors helped him achieve this. Here’s what the abstract from the patent says:

A system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes which will engage with a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface. The shoes have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably engaged with the hitch member by simply sliding the shoe wearer’s foot forward, thereby engaging with the hitch member.