Rolling Stone Readers Pick Their 10 Favorite Dancing Musicians

1. Michael Jackson
It should come as no surprise that the King of Pop won this poll by a significant margin. Michael Jackson's superhuman level of talent extended to an uncanny and utterly natural gift for dancing. On top of possessing remarkable grace, Jackson was also wildly innovative. In this clip from the Motown 25 special on March 25, 1983, the pop legend debuts the moonwalk, a backwards gliding motion which would become his signature move and one of the most famous dance techniques of the 20th Century.

2. Britney Spears
Britney Spears took a whopping percentage of the votes in this poll, clearly establishing the pop starlet as your favorite female dancer. The music video for the 2001 hit "I'm A Slave 4 U" is prime Britney, with the singer deliberately subverting her still-girlish appearance with overt, unapologetic sexuality.

3. James Brown
James Brown may be the most physical singer of all time, a man who spent pretty much every moment on stage over the course of five decades in constant motion. Brown's music developed largely in response to his dancing, with his band developing entirely new styles of funk and rhythm to suit their singer's ecstatic movements. These new beats ended up becoming the foundation of funk rock, house music, hip-hop and beyond, making Brown one of the most influential artists of all time

4. Mick Jagger
A lot of the physicality that we associate with rock stars today can be traced back to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, whose fluid motions and sassy rooster strut set the template for the likes of Freddie Mercury, Axl Rose, Steven Tyler and countless others. This clip of the Stones performing "Jumpin' Jack Flash" circa 1968 presents Jagger in his prime, though much of the footage is unfortunately focused above his waistline.

5. Lady Gaga

Though dancing is arguably the least of Lady Gaga's many talents, it is a central component of her live performances and visionary music videos. "Bad Romance" boasts her most inspired choreography along with some of the most indelible images of the singer's career to date. The best bit is the velociraptor-like monster arm motion, one of the most instantly iconic moves of the past decade.

6. Prince
The most iconic images of Prince usually involve him playing a guitar, so you'd be forgiven if it slipped your mind that the R&B legend happens to be a world class dancer. In this incredible footage from around 1980, Prince is brought up on stage by Michael Jackson during a James Brown performance, leading the pint-sized pop genius to upstage both men with surreal, wildly imaginative moves.

7. Madonna
Madonna is entirely synonymous with dancing. If she's not singing about dancing or making music for dance floors around the world, she's dancing in videos or on stage. Just as Madonna is responsible for bringing elements of several underground dance music genres into the mainstream with her pop hits, she has done the same for several dance styles, most notably voguing in the early Nineties. It's actually sort of hard to pick just one Madonna video to showcase her dancing – we went with the clip for her early hit "Holiday" because it's so totally focused on her movement and serves as a fine example of the singer's tough-girl physicality.

8. Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson may not have the widespread cultural impact of her older brother Michael, but she is a brilliant dancer in her own right, and has arguably had a greater long-term impact on the choreography of contemporary music videos. Her 1989 video for "Rhythm Nation," in which she and a quasi-militaristic ensemble dance in some sort of urban dystopia, set the template for hundreds of videos to come in the Nineties and aughts.

9. Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger is a dance pop veteran, having started off in the girl group Eden's Crush before breaking big as the frontwoman of the Pussycat Dolls. With that group, she specialized in overtly sexy moves that borrowed elements of burlesque and pole dancing. In this video for "Poison," a single from her 2010 solo disc Killer Love, Scherzinger cuts loose to a heavy club beat provided by Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne.

10. Thom Yorke
It seems likely that many of you were being sarcastic when you voted for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, but in any case, the elfin art rocker actually does have a totally fascinating – if entirely unconventional – style of dance. After years of shaking, twitching and stomping around like a dinosaur whenever he was not burdened with a guitar on stage, Yorke got around to showcasing his dance moves in the band's video for "Lotus Flower" earlier this year. It's a mesmerizing clip, full of bizarre moments that instantly became fodder for a number of re-edited fan videos, including this particularly funny clip in which Yorke is cut into Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.

i think you guys (and girls) are reading too much into it... looking at the list, it looks like its more of a popularity contest if anything. i don't think any serious music writer would seriously put Nicole S. on that list if it was up to them.... i could see putting Thom Yorke on ther for shits and giggles though.

[Edited 7/19/11 2:51am]

[Edited 7/19/11 2:51am]

Mdizzles said:

Rolling Stone Readers Pick Their 10 Favorite Dancing Musicians

1. Michael Jackson
It should come as no surprise that the King of Pop won this poll by a significant margin. Michael Jackson's superhuman level of talent extended to an uncanny and utterly natural gift for dancing. On top of possessing remarkable grace, Jackson was also wildly innovative. In this clip from the Motown 25 special on March 25, 1983, the pop legend debuts the moonwalk, a backwards gliding motion which would become his signature move and one of the most famous dance techniques of the 20th Century.

2. Britney Spears
Britney Spears took a whopping percentage of the votes in this poll, clearly establishing the pop starlet as your favorite female dancer. The music video for the 2001 hit "I'm A Slave 4 U" is prime Britney, with the singer deliberately subverting her still-girlish appearance with overt, unapologetic sexuality.

3. James Brown
James Brown may be the most physical singer of all time, a man who spent pretty much every moment on stage over the course of five decades in constant motion. Brown's music developed largely in response to his dancing, with his band developing entirely new styles of funk and rhythm to suit their singer's ecstatic movements. These new beats ended up becoming the foundation of funk rock, house music, hip-hop and beyond, making Brown one of the most influential artists of all time

4. Mick Jagger
A lot of the physicality that we associate with rock stars today can be traced back to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, whose fluid motions and sassy rooster strut set the template for the likes of Freddie Mercury, Axl Rose, Steven Tyler and countless others. This clip of the Stones performing "Jumpin' Jack Flash" circa 1968 presents Jagger in his prime, though much of the footage is unfortunately focused above his waistline.

5. Lady Gaga

Though dancing is arguably the least of Lady Gaga's many talents, it is a central component of her live performances and visionary music videos. "Bad Romance" boasts her most inspired choreography along with some of the most indelible images of the singer's career to date. The best bit is the velociraptor-like monster arm motion, one of the most instantly iconic moves of the past decade.

6. Prince
The most iconic images of Prince usually involve him playing a guitar, so you'd be forgiven if it slipped your mind that the R&B legend happens to be a world class dancer. In this incredible footage from around 1980, Prince is brought up on stage by Michael Jackson during a James Brown performance, leading the pint-sized pop genius to upstage both men with surreal, wildly imaginative moves.

7. Madonna
Madonna is entirely synonymous with dancing. If she's not singing about dancing or making music for dance floors around the world, she's dancing in videos or on stage. Just as Madonna is responsible for bringing elements of several underground dance music genres into the mainstream with her pop hits, she has done the same for several dance styles, most notably voguing in the early Nineties. It's actually sort of hard to pick just one Madonna video to showcase her dancing – we went with the clip for her early hit "Holiday" because it's so totally focused on her movement and serves as a fine example of the singer's tough-girl physicality.

8. Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson may not have the widespread cultural impact of her older brother Michael, but she is a brilliant dancer in her own right, and has arguably had a greater long-term impact on the choreography of contemporary music videos. Her 1989 video for "Rhythm Nation," in which she and a quasi-militaristic ensemble dance in some sort of urban dystopia, set the template for hundreds of videos to come in the Nineties and aughts.

9. Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger is a dance pop veteran, having started off in the girl group Eden's Crush before breaking big as the frontwoman of the Pussycat Dolls. With that group, she specialized in overtly sexy moves that borrowed elements of burlesque and pole dancing. In this video for "Poison," a single from her 2010 solo disc Killer Love, Scherzinger cuts loose to a heavy club beat provided by Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne.

10. Thom Yorke
It seems likely that many of you were being sarcastic when you voted for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, but in any case, the elfin art rocker actually does have a totally fascinating – if entirely unconventional – style of dance. After years of shaking, twitching and stomping around like a dinosaur whenever he was not burdened with a guitar on stage, Yorke got around to showcasing his dance moves in the band's video for "Lotus Flower" earlier this year. It's a mesmerizing clip, full of bizarre moments that instantly became fodder for a number of re-edited fan videos, including this particularly funny clip in which Yorke is cut into Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.

i think you guys (and girls) are reading too much into it... looking at the list, it looks like its more of a popularity contest if anything. i don't think any serious music writer would seriously put Nicole S. on that list if it was up to them.... i could see putting Thom Yorke on ther for shits and giggles though.

[Edited 7/19/11 2:51am]

[Edited 7/19/11 2:51am]

It is a popularity contest list lol

HuMpThAnG said:

Emancipation89 said:

Britney and Nicole

actually, i see 3

[Edited 7/18/11 16:30pm]

Who is the 3rd?

Graycap23 said:

HuMpThAnG said:

actually, i see 3

[Edited 7/18/11 16:30pm]

Who is the 3rd?

if I was feeling generous I would say there are four who play instruments, sing, & write music

Prince

Mick

Gaga

Thom Yorke

NDRU said:

Graycap23 said:

Who is the 3rd?

if I was feeling generous I would say there are four who play instruments, sing, & write music

Prince

Mick

Gaga

Thom Yorke

U are being generous.

Prince and James are the ONLY 2 that are legit on that list.

Graycap23 said:

NDRU said:

if I was feeling generous I would say there are four who play instruments, sing, & write music

Prince

Mick

Gaga

Thom Yorke

U are being generous.

Prince and James are the ONLY 2 that are legit on that list.

I would have said James, but I was not sure he fit your definition of a musician I guess he plays a little keyboards

NDRU said:

Graycap23 said:

U are being generous.

Prince and James are the ONLY 2 that are legit on that list.

I would have said James, but I was not sure he fit your definition of a musician I guess he plays a little keyboards

Apparently James could play drums and organ real well but only knew a few chords on the guitar and bass but I guess it was because he was trying to show his musicians where he wanted his music to sound like at that exact moment lol

Timmy84 said:

NDRU said:

I would have said James, but I was not sure he fit your definition of a musician I guess he plays a little keyboards

Apparently James could play drums and organ real well but only knew a few chords on the guitar and bass but I guess it was because he was trying to show his musicians where he wanted his music to sound like at that exact moment lol

James definitely fits my definition of a musician, whether he plays any instruments or not

NDRU said:

Timmy84 said:

Apparently James could play drums and organ real well but only knew a few chords on the guitar and bass but I guess it was because he was trying to show his musicians where he wanted his music to sound like at that exact moment lol

James definitely fits my definition of a musician, whether he plays any instruments or not

He fits it too because as a bandleader, he knew how his music should sound like. Plus he was a perfectionist and anybody that didn't agree with him would get the boot.

Simply put, that list is BULL...

FUCKING...

SHIT...

No other chick in the game can step to Janet in the dance department. Sorry. I don't care how much training they've had. I don't care how popular they are. I don't care what school they went to. And the fact that Britney Spears alone is so high on that list proves just how stupid it is.

[Edited 7/19/11 13:09pm]

Graycap23 said:

NDRU said:

if I was feeling generous I would say there are four who play instruments, sing, & write music

Prince

Mick

Gaga

Thom Yorke

U are being generous.

Prince and James are the ONLY 2 that are legit on that list.

Mick plays guitar, harp & the piano i think

HuMpThAnG said:

Graycap23 said:

U are being generous.

Prince and James are the ONLY 2 that are legit on that list.

Mick plays guitar, harp & the piano i think

You will be correct.

Timmy84 said:

HuMpThAnG said:

Mick plays guitar, harp & the piano i think

You will be correct.

thanks

Plus Gaga seems to be very talented on the keys..

Not my taste of music, but she seems to hold her own

Graycap23 said:

NDRU said:

if I was feeling generous I would say there are four who play instruments, sing, & write music

Prince

Mick

Gaga

Thom Yorke

U are being generous.

Prince and James are the ONLY 2 that are legit on that list.

Michael is rumored to play guitar, drums, and piano, but thats unconfirmed.

And, by the way, a musican is MORE than just an instrumentalist.

[Edited 7/19/11 15:33pm]

these types of lists come about when you have teens who are voting.

I can't even take the rollingstone seriously.

and I burst out laughing reading britney's description for why she was ranked number 2. it was like they didn't agree, but had to put something up there.

Even if someone hates janet's music, you can't deny she is a better dancer than britney and madonna put together. It looks more like a popularity contenst. I noticed after MJ's death he has been getting the number 1 spot on all the polls. but before he died people weren't giving him that so easily.

janet's legacy will only be truely appreciated after she dies, just like MJ.

chamber said:

mancabdriver said:

She wasted her money getting trained.

Hardly. Since Madonna attended U of M on a dance scholarship, and was later accepted into the famed Alvin Alley Dance Troupe; I'd say the money was well spent and clearly paid off! I'm curious...do you have any accolades that tops–or at the very least matches–just those 2 accomplishments alone to qualify you as a reputable critiquer of who can and can't dance?

Additionally, the jitterbug segment Madonna performed in A League of Their Own and the entire Evita movie further proves that she is a good dancer.

...but of course I wouldn't expect anyone whose idea of dancing is probably limited to trite 'Pop N Lock' moves that any fool can learn from buying an infomercial DVD selling it to be able to see past that.

To reiterate: Madonna won a scholarship in the field, performed with a world renowned dancing company, has been hired for jobs that *required* dancing...and as a cherry on top was included on this list of top 10 dancing musicians. Again, what have you achieved that gives you the clout to negate anyone's dancing abilities -- let alone hers?

[Edited 7/16/11 13:30pm]

thanks for the info on Madonna. I knew she was trained as a dancer but I didn't know about the scholarship to U of f*cking M and getting into a renknown dance company.

seeingvoices12 said:

trueiopian said:

Where did I say I agreed with this list,

[Snip - luv4u] ? I called you all those names because that's what you are, hun.

and yes, you're ugly. Sorry but it's the truth.

God , you are really a horrible person , I mean, i will never get to the point to call someone ugly , and and i'm not , i'm gonna post my pic here , post yours if you dare......so everyone can see your face ...I have no problem posting mine or ashamed of how i look . ...

[Snip - luv4u]

.

[img:$uid]http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/195992_1002809424357_1048498326_12451_7869_n.jpg[/img:$uid]

Don't sweat it. Y ou are cute.

kewlschool said:

What about Whitney? LOL

looking at this video, it is hard to believe the stories that whitney had "street" in her before she met B obby.

prodigalfan said:

kewlschool said:

What about Whitney? LOL

looking at this video, it is hard to believe the stories that whitney had "street" in her before she met B obby.

that reminds me of the days when my grandma used to make me go to church and someone caught the "Holy Ghost".

prodigalfan said:

kewlschool said:

What about Whitney? LOL

looking at this video, it is hard to believe the stories that whitney had "street" in her before she met B obby.

2 FUNNY . But, as bad as she looks here, she still has 10 times the rhythm that Mariah has.

prodigalfan said:

seeingvoices12 said:

God , you are really a horrible person , I mean, i will never get to the point to call someone ugly , and and i'm not , i'm gonna post my pic here , post yours if you dare......so everyone can see your face ...I have no problem posting mine or ashamed of how i look . ...

[Snip - luv4u]

.

[img:$uid]http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/195992_1002809424357_1048498326_12451_7869_n.jpg[/img:$uid]

Don't sweat it. Y ou are cute.

Oh yeah. Really cute.