Shadow puppet artist captures essence of Michael Jackson's dance moves

A video of a shadow puppet show performing the iconic dance moves of U.S. pop music icon Michael Jackson recently went viral.

In the video, a shadow puppet figure resembling Michael Jackson was maneuvered by several artists to perform his classic moonwalk and robot dance, accompanied by lively music.

The artists in the video are Xue Hongquan, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of shadow puppetry from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and his two apprentices.

Shadow puppetry is a traditional form of folk drama that utilizes animal skin or cardboard cutouts to narrate stories. Huazhou district in Weinan city, Shaanxi, is one of the key birthplaces of this art form. In recognition of its cultural significance, shadow puppetry was included in the inaugural batch of the national intangible cultural heritage protection list in 2006.

Three artists operate a shadow puppet to perform Michael Jackson’s dance moves. (Photo/Beijing Youth Daily)

Xue said the first official presentation of this performance took place on a China Central Television (CCTV) program in 2016. Xue's team passed the program’s audition. The judges were impressed by their shadow puppetry performance, and one of them even suggested including additional elements, such as Michael Jackson's dance, into their show.

Through interactions with young people, Xue sought to revitalize and develop the traditional art form. As a result of his creative efforts, the shadow puppetry piece, "Resurrected Michael Jackson,” was born. In 2016, Xue showcased his talent on a CCTV program, where he ingeniously made shadow puppets perform Michael Jackson's iconic dance moves. The performance generated immediate acclaim.

Xue said that "Resurrected Michael Jackson" is different from traditional shadow puppetry in many innovative ways.

"The design of the shadow puppet characters is more intricate, with more joints and control rods added to better portray Michael Jackson's dance moves such as gliding, hip thrusts, and knee lifts. Traditional shadow puppets usually have only three control rods, but the Michael Jackson shadow puppet has six," said Xue.

To enhance the dynamism of the shadow puppets' movements, Xue began by cutting the cardboard into the shape of a miniature person and assembling it for testing. He then focused on establishing precise joint connections.

"We meticulously analyzed the joints of the Michael Jackson puppet, ensuring they closely resembled the skeletal joints of a real person," he explained.

For instance, they divided the shadow puppet's feet into ankle, sole, and toe joints. By using steel wires to connect the soles and toes, they enabled the shoes to deform realistically when stepped on. They also designed the hat to be detachable, allowing it to be thrown or even appear to fly back.

Xue explained that the intricate and precise nature of the shadow puppet characters posed a greater challenge for the performers. What was once a task for a single operator now required the coordination of three people. Any mistake from one person would disrupt the entire figure.

"Michael Jackson's dance moves demand a strong sense of power and rhythm, necessitating the shadow puppet performers to execute their actions with crispness, decisiveness, and the appropriate force, without any hesitation," said Xue, adding that to achieve the desired performance effect, they rehearsed tirelessly, to the extent that some performers even developed blisters on their hands.

Xue said that apart from Michael Jackson, they are currently inviting experts to create a large-scale production that differs from traditional shadow puppetry. This production uses digital lighting for projection, eliminating the need for control rods and the shadows of performers on the screen, resulting in a cleaner visual presentation.