The Story and the Meaning Behind Michael Jackson’s Panther Dance [THREAD]

The Panther Dance is a 4-minute segment in the end of Michael Jackson’s Black or White music video. It's considered one of his most iconic moments, both for the stunning display of his artistic abilities and for the heavy symbolism involving race and identity.

Premiering worldwide on November 14, 1991, Black or White and the Panther Dance are simultaneously the product and the cause of an urgent debate about prejudice and racial inequality, a debate that started that year with the brutal beating of Rodney King.

On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was pulled over on a Los Angeles freeway by four white police officers. King, who was unarmed, was then mercilessly kicked and beaten. The beating was caught on tape by George Holliday, an onlooker who lived in the area.

When the footage aired on TV, it caused outrage. King became a symbol of racial profiling and police brutality, and the acquittal of the four officers the following year, despite taped evidence, sparked the famous LA riots.

The Panther Dance emerged in the timeframe between the beating and the riots, a time when the frustration and the anger over what many assumed would be yet another injustice, were high. It captured and propelled these sentiments.

The segment starts immediately after the groundbreaking face-morphing scene at the end of Black or White. In a staged behind-the-scenes moment, the camera zooms out and the viewers get to see the inside of the studio, where filming is wrapping up.

A black panther, one of the most ferocious and fascinating beings in the animal kingdom, appears out of the blue. Like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, it guides those who dare to follow it from a safe and polished world to a world ruled by instincts and the subconscious.

The panther climbs down a flight of stairs to a dark alley, where it transforms itself into Michael Jackson. Viewers may wonder – why didn’t Michael himself lead them there? And why was the black panther the animal chosen as the guiding thread to the second part of the narrative?

The black panther is the symbol of the Black Panther Party, a political organization founded in1966 by college students Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. With an ideology of socialism, black nationalism and armed self-defense, the BP's primary goal was to confront police brutality.

The BPs personified the fight against racial injustice. According to Prof. Jane Rhodes of the University of Illinois at Chicago “The media, like most of white America, was deeply frightened by their aggressive and assertive style of protest. And they were offended by it.”

The ‘Black Panther’ is also an important character in the comic book world. The first mainstream black superhero, it was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and debuted in Marvel’s “Fantastic 4” comic in 1966, getting its own comic in 1977.

Taking into consideration Michael Jackson’s deep knowledge of African-American history and his passion for comic books (which most probably made him aware of the character), the choice of a black panther as the symbol for his video hardly seems a coincidence.

But there’s one more aspect to Michael’s choice of the black panther, an animal associated with 'blackness'. Since the late 80s, the singer faced criticism over his changing appearance, for what many believed was an attempt to erase his black features and "become white".

In reality, the singer suffered from Vitiligo, an incurable disease he had been diagnosed with in 1986, that caused white patches to appear on his skin. At first, he covered them with make-up, but when they became too extensive, he had to undergo a special treatment.

That treatment was the depigmentation of the remaining dark areas with a topical cream to even out the skin, an option for patients with extensive Vitiligo. The treatment is very serious, irreversible and in no way associated with "skin bleaching".

Michael's disease, which he would address publicly for the first time in a 1993 interview, was later confirmed by his autopsy report (seen below). But in 1991 this process was seen by many as voluntary and indicative of a hatred of his roots.

By morphing from and into a black panther, the singer, who was famously private and averse to interviews, responds to these rumors with what he does best: his art. And with that he invites the viewers to watch a performance of a lifetime.

The concept for the Panther Dance wasn’t entirely new. The segment’s theme – the deserted street, the noir aesthetics, the brisk dance moves, the shattering glass – largely derived from a 1990 commercial the singer had done for LA Gear, but with added elements and symbolisms.

The dancing in the segment was improvised by Michael. Aside from his signature moves, John Landis, the director, said they shot a "wonderful tap dance number" that was mostly cut out. "The only thing left (...) is you see him do two steps and then kick a bottle in slow motion."

Michael had decided to emphasize the sensuality in his moves. Landis, who said the video’s 4-minute ending was entirely Michael’s idea, claimed that the singer “wanted it to be even more sexually explicit”, adding that some of the dancing they shot was "even more extreme.”

What was Michael’s intention? To spark controversy, get people talking? Surely. But there was more to it. Since he was young, the singer had been haunted by rumors about his sexuality, which stemmed primarily from his refusal to adhere to societal standards of masculinity.

One of the most talked about subjects was his “crotch-grab”, which he explained in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey as something that “happens subliminally”, adding that the music “compels him to do it", and that he “doesn’t think about it, it just happens.”

Although, when speaking of the Panther Dance, Michael reinforced this “subconscious” narrative by blaming his actions on the “instincts” of the panther, there are plenty of reasons to believe that this was a calculated move on his part.

His Dangerous album (1991) is seen by many as the first time Michael addressed sex and his sexuality in a mature way, with critic Alan Light noting that “despite his offstage Peter Pan image, Michael Jackson’s finest song and dance is always sexually charged, tense, coiled.”

The Panther Dance can be seen as the ‘inauguration’ of this new, openly sexual and assertive Michael, that was present in the Dangerous era in songs like She Drives Me Wild, Give In to Me and In the Closet (with its titillating music video starring Naomi Campbell).

By emphasizing sensuality in the segment, Michael asserts to the world that he’s a sexual person who’s in charge of his own body and his masculinity, simultaneously pushing away the rumors and distancing himself of his often "squeaky-clean" image.

The autonomy that Michael expresses also includes the freedom to engage romantically with whomever he chooses, regardless of race, tearing down the prejudice surrounding interracial relationships.

As writer Joe Vogel points out, this issue is addressed in the first verses of Black or White: “I took my baby on a Saturday bang. Boy is that girl with you? Yes, we're one and the same (…) If you're thinkin' about my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white.”

The segment’s most poignant moment starts when Michael goes from tap-dancing next to a street light, reminiscing Gene Kelly’s 1952 classic Singing in the Rain, to vandalizing a parked car. Michael’s world, he seems to tell us, isn’t as rosy as Gene's.

From then on, his moves become increasingly assertive and explicit, with violence and sensuality entwining in a crescendo that ultimately leads to him throwing a steering wheel against the glass window of a door, which shatters loudly.

He zips up his fly, jumps off the hood of the car and violently breaks a storefront window with a trash can. This imagery was also present in another classic - Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989), which spoke of race, identity and police brutality.

He then dances and strokes his body, before going into what seems like a superhuman spin and dramatically landing on his hands and knees in a puddle of water. We’ve reached the most cathartic moment in the segment.

He screams – the roars of the panther informing the viewer that he’s now pure instinct – and rips open his shirt, a gesture largely associated with masculinity and power, that he often used in his performances…

…But that can also be interpreted as a protest, the letting out of a cry of frustration caused by the continuous social and racial injustice, embodying the spirit of the LA riots, that would break in 1992.

As a final act of magic and power, Michael swings his arm in the direction of the sign of the Royal Arms Hotel, which comes crashing down in a shower of sparks. He then morphs back into the panther, who roars to the screen before making its way out of the deserted street.

Nothing short of a media take-down was planned for the premiere of the Black or White music video. MTV dedicated an entire week of programming around Michael, and a Dangerous album teaser, directed by David Lynch, ran in theaters across the USA.

The video was a huge hit, premiering simultaneously in 27 countries (in the USA it was broadcasted by FOX, BET and MTV) to a record-breaking audience of 500 million viewers and creating the kind of buzz that Michael and his team wanted for the release of the Dangerous album.

But it also stirred huge controversy. FOX, which aired the video after The Simpsons, was flooded with angry calls from viewers and affiliates that claimed to be offended by the “sexual and violent” nature of its final 4 minutes.

Complaints revolved around the fact that it wasn’t ‘family-friendly’, a trait many associated with Michael Jackson, with Howard Shrier, the VP of fox affiliate KPTM (Omaha, NE) rendering it "tasteless, lousy, obscene. Inappropriate for children's viewing."

FOX issued an apology, adding that, based on the calls, the "strong symbolism" of the final segment "overshadows the film's message about racial harmony.” At MTV, publicist Carole Robinson said they received "relatively few phone calls, some negative, some positive."

An edited version of the video, without the Panther Dance, would then be provided by Michael’s team to the networks, which would use it in future broadcastings.

An alternative version of the video would appear in the compilation Dangerous: The Short Films (1993). In it, racist graffiti writings such as "KKK rules" were added via CGI to the windows shattered by Michael, in order to make the segment more ‘understandable’ to the public.

Prompted by his publicists, Michael also issued a statement, where he asserted to have "always tried to be a good role model" and that he deeply regretted "any pain or hurt that the final segment of ‘Black or White’ has caused children, their parents or any other viewers."

The video received mixed reviews in the media. While critics praised some of its ‘incredible’ footage, most saw it as a PR move, claiming that Michael had actively instigated controversy in order to “reclaim the limelight” and “make his image tougher, more streetwise.”

In the New York Times, Jon Pareles was unable to conceal his cynicism and blatant dislike of the singer when analyzing the final segment. “Is the destruction an assertion of masculinity? (...) A desperate cry for attention from one of the world's most famous people?", he asked...

…while also adding that Michael’s “new face is a bland mask, his skin even pinker than it was on the cover of Bad in 1987” and that the singer looked “as fragile, even feminine, as ever.”

Pareles concludes his analysis of the Black or White video by saying that it comes across as the “narcissism of a spoiled child throwing his toys” and that “the final sequence (…) makes it clear that Mr. Jackson knows his freakishness is part of the sales pitch.”

Over at the LA Times, Chris Willman dubbed the video “extravagant, rambling, unfocused (…) a mess.” Like Pareles, Willman acknowledges the video's reference to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, but concludes, with irony, that while Lee "might have been proud"...

..."one could understand how parents might be a tad alarmed by this display of nonsensical violence by a role model.” Both Pareles and Willman appear to be so clouded by their judgement of the singer that neither asked the obvious question- why had Michael chosen to mirror Spike?

These reporters have at least one thing in common – they lack the life experience and the cultural sensitivity necessary to speak of intricate matters such as race and the ethnic/cultural identity of people of color.

Indeed, it seems that the critics picked to review Michael’s work throughout the decades are a carousel of white males. One could argue that their reviews must be seen in their context, when, among other things, the world was yet to be informed of the singer’s vitiligo…

…If only this type of comment wasn't still prevalent, with Rolling Stone's Brian Hiatt writing, in 2009, that when Michael “showed up (…) with ghostly-pale skin in the video for ‘Black or White’, he had absolutely no sense that listeners might apply the title to his own life."

The Black or White video can be seen as a two-act play - in the first act, we see ‘universal’ Michael gliding between cultures and speaking of racial harmony. In the second act we see 'ethnic' Michael, speaking to and about his community.

Society gladly watched the first act, where an optimistic Michael sang about a brighter future while interacting with exotic cultures (the bridge, where he sings “I ain’t scared of no sheets” in front of the image of a burning cross providing an interesting counterpoint).

It’s only when he dared to be assertive and make his stance clear in the Panther Dance – in other words, when he dared to challenge the status quo – that ‘universal’, ‘post-racial’ Michael became black Michael once again in their eyes. And that wouldn’t be easily forgiven.

Like a screaming mob, critics called him white, feminine, freakish, gross, inappropriate, hungry for attention and desperate to cling on to what they believed were the final moments of his career. The Panther Dance, they claimed, like its creator, was ‘unintelligible’.

The question is – unintelligible to whom? What was really behind the angry reviews of the Panther Dance wasn’t outrage over the ‘crotch-grab’ or the window-breaking, but dismay over Michael’s refusal to fulfill the part white society had established for him.

When he breaks from that part, when he exposes the deep flaws in society’s treatment of his community, the attempts to silence and oppress his people - he’s publicly punished. With that, the man that allegedly hated his roots becomes, once again, unequivocally black.

And while, as Spike Lee would put it, the relationship between Michael and part of the black community hasn’t been without its ups and downs, many people have acknowledged the message conveyed in the Panther Dance, like musician Questlove:

Michael Jackson was sharp and a perfectionist. Few aspects of his work were unplanned. The controversy created by the Panther Dance was a fleeting moment, but his act of defiance and identification with his community – that would resonate forever. //

SOURCES: LECOCQ, Richard; ALLARD, François “Michael Jackson: All the Songs – The Story Behind Every Track”; VOGEL, Joseph “’I Ain’t Scared of No Sheets’: Re-Screening Black Masculinity in Michael Jackson’s Black or White” (Journal of Popular Music Studies, V. 27, Issue 1, 2015);

VOGEL, Joseph “Black and White: how Dangerous kicked off Michael Jackson's race paradox” (The Guardian); RUSSONELLO, Giovanni “Fascination and Fear: Covering the Black Panthers”; “The Black Panther Party” (US National Archives);

MATIASH, Chelsea; ROTHMAN, Lily “The Beating that Changed America: What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago” (TIME); “Rodney King riot: Timeline of key events” (AP); MATTIMORE, Ryan “The Real History Behind the Black Panther” (HISTORY);

Billboard (November 16, 1991); “Michael Jackson Debuts 'Black or White' Video on Fox (AP)”; “Jackson and Fox Apologize for Sex, Violence in New Video” (AP via Kitsap Sun); PHALEN, Tom “Jackson Alters His New Video” (Seattle Times);

PARELES, Jon “Review/Rock: New Video Opens the Jackson Blitz” (New York Times); WILLMAN, Chris “Michael's Video Takes Beating; 4 Minutes Cut - Review- Jackson crams so much into his 'Black or White' video that it is an unfocused mess, but it has some incredible spots” (LA Times);

HIATT, Brian “Michael Jackson: What Went Wrong” (Rolling Stone); “Michael Jackson Remembered: Inside Rolling Stone’s Special Issue” (Rolling Stone); LIGHT, Alan “Dangerous” (Rolling Stone);

GOLDBERG, Michael “Michael Jackson: The Making of ‘The King of Pop’” (Rolling Stone). Source for 1991 video montage of news channels: @lois_laniee.