I am a 63 year old man and that means that I am the same age that Michael would be now. And that means that I grew up loving Michael's unbelievable talents since he and I were both 11 years old. Which has made me his number one fan. With that said, I would like to share my thoughts on your performance. Young man, you were simply amazing!! Your attire, your attitude, your dance moves were all on point!! I couldn't help but smile throughout your awesome performance!! Thanks for loving Michael's talents as much as I do. I have a KZread Playlist entitled "Michael" and guess who's amazing KZread performance just got added to that Playlist!!😁💯💯! Bless you young man!!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

holy moly this has to be the best complement i have EVER received. all i can say is thank you thank you thank you! i love keeping the legacy alive and performing his routines. it’s a blast!

@troystewart7730

Жыл бұрын

11 years old That was right in his prime age range

@chris2790

Жыл бұрын

63 year old using "on point" 🤣

@Lions1986

Жыл бұрын

@@troystewart7730 you must have thought you did something here didnt you?

@austinlang8650

Жыл бұрын

​@Chris whats crazy about that? Ive heard 76 year olds say it

3:52 I hope that you felt how Michael felt when he made crowds of people scream out of their minds!😁 And please don't forget to bow as Michael always did at the end of all of his performances.. it's a show of gratitude to the audience! You were simply AMAZING 👏!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

there’s no feeling like it to compare it to. it’s so unique and unforgettable!

@BuckyBarnesATL

Жыл бұрын

Always some so called‘expert’ to always say you did good buttttttt. Seriously why? The killed it!

@BuckyBarnesATL

Жыл бұрын

@@jonathancruz1764you did great man! No criticism here, you did amazing my dude!

Props to your friend that came in to take the spotlight off you so you could get ready for the lean (3:52). Even after knowing the trick behind the lean, it never gets less amazing to see it. This was amazing and I wish you all the best.

@HotRod12667

Жыл бұрын

It still takes an amazing amount of strength to pull it off.

@charadreemur7990

Жыл бұрын

@@HotRod12667 No yeah, I totally agree. Regardless of the trick behind it, it still takes a lot of strength and communication with your body to be able to keep your feet as close to flat as possible and get back up. I was just saying that it would’ve been a bit awkward if the friend wasn’t there to take attention off Jonny while he was getting prepared for it.

@ronsedlak4019

Жыл бұрын

@@charadreemur7990 Well, even Michael had a little kid dancing to distract the audience just before he and his backups did the lean in the music video, so all legit!

@charadreemur7990

Жыл бұрын

@@ronsedlak4019 Really?? I never knew that, or maybe I did and just don’t remember. But that’s cool, the little details like that.

@epicestackkeee1044

Жыл бұрын

@@ronsedlak4019The kid really wasn't distracting, she was a main character of the film the music video was in, moonwalker. Michael was already ready with a rope tied to him so he wouldn't fall, as the shoe trick wasn't invented until 1992 for the dangerous tour.

Sir, you absolutely SLAYED this. I swear, I lost it at that lean! Absolutely brilliant!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

wow thank you so much!! it was a great and unique experience!!

@miked8728

Жыл бұрын

Nah

@domsquad1237

Жыл бұрын

@@miked8728 don’t be a hater be glad he is still keeping Michael Jackson alive and doing a tremendous job at it

@miked8728

Жыл бұрын

@@domsquad1237 nah

@domsquad1237

Жыл бұрын

@@miked8728 dude just let the man enjoy his life ok stop hating

Fun fact: Michael jackson actually had special shoes in order to do the lean. It used pegs in the floor and holes in the shoes to lock him into place. If you watch on the stage you can see he used the same idea because theres 2 pegs on stage. That shows me he did his homework on that lean

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

and lots of practice 😅 haha

@TheEnd-dy1dd

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Captain O.

@lcsoto2012

2 ай бұрын

You can actually see the pegs on the floor in this video.

@Strahan740i

Ай бұрын

Yep. But still gotta respect the strength that one needs to pull it off, even with special shoes :)

You SMASHED it mate! I did a smooth criminal performance at my school at age 15 (I’m 37 now) Yours was top notch! Never give up on dancing man don’t let life weigh you down! Much love ❤

@jonathancruz1764

7 ай бұрын

thanks so much brother! it was seriously such an awesome opportunity and i loved every second!

Legend says on that very night, everyone fell in love with this man and he won over the female lead, his bully evaporated into air, and everyone started dancing, and everyone clapped

It’s almost like it’s Micheal himself on stage!! This was incredible that you memorized all of this!! Great work dude!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thanks a ton! 😭 glad you enjoyed watching :)

@ZepG

7 ай бұрын

He didn'ty just memorize it he learned it perfectly!

@yourlocalstargirl6153

7 ай бұрын

@@ZepG AMEN!!

Brilliant and that "YEAH JOHNNY", reminded me of Karate Kid, lol

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you! and i couldn’t hear that during the performance but i loved listening back to it haha

Absolutely phenomenal and utterly fantastic to see Michael's work continuing to influence the youth of today. Great job, Jonny!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

he is the GOAT! and thank you!

absolutely incredible. never stop dancing. Doing the lean on stage is a huge w. also idk how you were able to see on stage when the lights went out! freaking awesome bro.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

wow that means a ton thank you 😭💙

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

and seeing in the dark is my super power… don’t tell anyone.

@speqe

Жыл бұрын

@@jonathancruz1764 i mean you were standing next to it and you just said it was your superpower-

@captainjirk9564

Жыл бұрын

He has Darkvision

I’m 63 African American. I used to dance three hours a day. Seen Michael live. Watched him thousands of times just to see him move. I can dance. I said all that to say this. Excellent. Smooth. Rhythmic. Polished. Bravo ! Bravo ! Sublime. I give you 9.9.9. Only Mj gets my 10. You young man gifted. You have talent. You made my day. Bravo . Bravo

@jonathancruz1764

10 ай бұрын

thank you so much!!!

That lean was crazy!!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

dang bro thank you so much! it was super fun to do!

@drewski5558

Жыл бұрын

Definitely

@Pepper-pe2uy

Жыл бұрын

I think he had shoes on that made it easier for him but still good job

@FireFox_-rk2hv

Жыл бұрын

Where can I find the shoes and nails?

@cajunstacker1376

Жыл бұрын

While the other guy was dancing he locked is shoes into the board on the ground, but it is a awesome effect

What an OUTSTANDING performance! The choreography that had to go into this performance must have been extremely difficult and time consuming. What dedication and hard work that must have gone into this performance in mind boggling. Well done young man! I'm absolutely certain the "King of Pop" would have been very proud and flattered by that performance! You KILLED it!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thanks so much! these types of comments mean so much to me 😭💙 i loved the opportunity i had to do it and it was so much fun and worth the time!

I grew up in the 80's. I'm not gonna lie this choked me up. I had to wipe my eyes by the end. Thank you for bringing me back to those magical days, young sir. Thank you for honoring one of the most beautiful performance artists this world has ever known with such a dedicated performance of your own. Even through blurry eyes, this was amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thank YOU for stopping and watching! it was a joy to do and i loved the opportunity. so glad to hear how you experienced it!

That was awesome and spot on. My mother took me out of the shower to see MJ do the moonwalk for the first time at the Apollo Awards in 1983 because he was the man. Rock on brother.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

that’s so awesome!! i only wish i could’ve experienced something like that live!!

Can we all just appreciate all the high quality camera angles and editing that went into this, instead of it being recorded shakily and vertically on one person's potato-pixel phone camera and uploaded straight to youtube?

It feels like that crowd couldn’t fully appreciate how 🔥 this was. You killed it my friend.

He could have been in the video with MJ. I have seen many tried this. Nobody was this flawless. Fantastic!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thank you SO much!! that means a lot! 💙

Just proves that Michael still is spanning more than three generations and has been an inspiration to so many. I’ve been a fan since my brother allowed me one cassette tape from his Columbia subscription. I chose wisely: Thriller!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

MJ IS THE GOAT!

ENTERTAINER! That's what Michael was. You captured his spirit.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you 😭

Awww brings tears to my eyes seeing people still loving MJ and keeping his spirit, music, and dancing, alive, through excellent performances like this. I think Mike will be inspiring artists for generations upon generations to come

@jonathancruz1764

2 ай бұрын

he is so timeless!

Wow. I'm an old lady who watched MJ develop his skills from the very beginning, and I'll tell you: You're extremely talented. I hope you're able to continue your hard work and have access to the resources you need to follow your dreams. You could definitely go places if you do, and I'll be thrilled to see it.

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

wowowowow thank you 😭💙

This guy is a smooth criminal because you just stole everyone’s hearts

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

;)

"Grandpa, how did you and grandma meet?" "Well you see kids, it all started when I absolutely nailed the moves for Smooth Criminal at my high school talent show..." That takes some serious practice to do it that well, MJ would've been proud.

Dude... this is amazing! Mj was "the" ultimate entertainer of our time. He put so much into every performance. It had to be perfect, no exceptions and that is what I see here. He would be proud of you!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much you have no idea how much those types of comments mean to me 😭💙

I remember seeing Michael live in 1996 (I was nine years old). Being a fan of Elvis Presley, after that concert, I asked my father, "Daddy, is it ok for me to have two favorite singers?" Sir, this is the first time I'm watching a dancer and feeling the same vibes I get when watching my favorite celebrity of almost thirty years. You rock.

Smooth moves. And the guy distracting the audience was very smooth so he could hook up. Very slick and killer routine

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

Warren is the man and he left no crumbs haha

Even Michael himself was impressed

I love all of the Michael Jackson imitators on KZread and everywhere! Your performances will keep Michael’s memory alive forever!

Bro prepared a very long time for this moment, and he executed it perfectly. I know I’m late, but GJ!! Absolutely amazing talent!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thanks a ton! i appreciate it a lot 😭💙

Sensational one of the best performances I've ever seen.. one of the most complete with every aspect and move. Even the hat tilt amazing 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

@jonathancruz1764

5 ай бұрын

oh my goodness thank you so much for the kinds words! you are greatly appreciated!

And the actual lean by dear Michael Jackson wwas done with special shoes! This guy is absolutely incredible!! Amazing talent. He will be dancing in his life as a professional! Yes. Power to you guy! I hope you have all your dreams come true 💝!!!

@jeremylowe2309

9 ай бұрын

He did the same thing. It’s a trick studs on the floor. Trick shoes.

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thank you so much that means a TON! 💙

This guy has to one of the very best performers of M.J ever. 😉👍👏👏👏👏👏

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

omg thank you so much 😭

That was amazing. I bet Michael would be proud

@jonathancruz1764

9 ай бұрын

wish i could’ve shown him this to hear his thoughts and critiques!!

Michael Jackson will live on forever through every generation ♥️♥️♥️

I hope he goes on with his talent, and keeps Michael “alive” for all of us! AWESOME performance!! ❤️

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thank youuuu!!! i’d love to keep on going too! let’s see what happens 👀

I appear to be late to the party, dude I grew up watching the moon walker video tape on repeat. You did such an amazing job here. I can only imagine the hours of practice you put in to get it down so solid. Fantastic performance!!!! 👏

Wow. That performance was spectacular. Who knew a school talent show could be so incredible. Dude is seriously talented. Bravo!!!

This video should have a million views. Apparently today's KZread audience doesn't recognize true talent.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

ong thank you o much 😭💙

FABULOUS! I don't know how you remembered all these steps! Magnificent!

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

hours and hours of practice haha

@TheEnd-dy1dd

3 ай бұрын

@@jonathancruz1764 I beg your Pardon sir, this looks like Months & Months of practice.Me & the Boys used to have a dance off in the streets back in the late '80's trying to see who was the best M.J. Dancer.

They may forget the song you danced to....the name of the distraction guy.......what you wore. They ALWAYS REMEMBER the magic of that lean. A M A Z I N G! I come back to watch that all the time...makes me smile.

All I could do was smile throughout this performance. I am 61 yrs old and had little Mikie just amaze me every time I saw him perform. Since I was a kid the Jackson 5, then Mike on his own, have just been a joy to watch. Your performance was so on point during this show, you should be proud that you did such a fine job. I don't care about what Mike did, although he chartered this dance style, you crushed it kiddo. Good Freakin job. Don't let any haters put you down. Everybody has to start somewhere. Kudos to you kiddo.

This young man is an incredible dancer, he shows he respects and appreciates M.J. ..Awesome performance 🙌💯❤️

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

i’m his number 1 fan!! 😂

Wow. No other words needed for this amazing performance.

This is how you absolutely crush the school talent show. Amazing!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you!! it was so much fun and such a unique experience!

The core strength!!! I wouldnt have been able to pull myself back up so smooth

Me and my brother was waching today in 2024. We are from Brazil. We want to congratulate you Jonny, your presentation was perfect, we loved it so much. A beautiful tribute to the king ❤

Amazing!!! 👏👏👏 you should win this talent show! You have perfect moves , Michael would be proud, keep it up! ❤️👑🤟✌️🦋🌻

Love how you can step out and do individual moves and then come back together sp perfectly in sync.

Wow bravo!!! What an amazing talent. So glad I got to see you perform...

This young man was excellent!♥️

That was amazing!! Really enjoyed your performance 🔥🔥🔥

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

wow thank you a million! 😭

@bluender2125

Жыл бұрын

It's even more impressive that he made his own moves in there

I’ve never seen such fidelity to Michael Jackson’s dance chops! /Johnny Cruz is a dancer extraordinaire... 😊

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thank you!!

This young man did a fabulous job👍🏼❤️😊

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

thanks a ton!!

SERIOUSLY YOU MADE ME CRY! THIS IS SO WONDERFUL. ITS AMAZING SEE YOU DOIN THAT. CONGRATS

I'm a 42 year old woman who grew up adoring Michael. I have long been able to moonwalk ( I actually learned by starting doing it originally on rollerskates!) In a high school lip synch show I played Jordan Knight in a New Kids on the Block song performance, purely because I cam moonwalk and he use to do that as well. You've got an excellent moonwalk down!!! I just about lost my mind when you did the lean! (Do you know I never looked into the trick behind doing that sweet move!? I don't know why!?) When MJ passed away me and my ex husband went out to a bar got drunk and sang ONLY Michael Jackson songs as a tribute to him. I still have my Michael Thriller doll. It's the size of the old school original G I Joe dolls! I still love it!! Excellent job brother! I'm happy to see people still digging MJ!!!

I was looking on the floor for the hooks to do the extreme bend forward. That’s how they pulled it off in real life. Nice job for including that.

JONNY CRUZ!!!!! You killed it!!!!!!!! You did such a good job!!! Thank you for sharing with us! 🩶🩶🩶

Amazing dude I love MJ so much u did such a good job man 🔥

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

wow thank you so much 😭

Honestly this is soo good, It would be awesome if you could tryout for AGT or something like it, even if you didn't make it you would still have all of us appreciating your work

Congrats Mr. Cruz astounding performance! your crisp moves make this a remarkable routine ! Thanks for sharing your skill with us!

It's just truly amazing watching talent, which brings me back to my youth. Priceless

That was freakin awesome!! I’m a huge Michael fan and you killed this.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

wowow thank you!

Great Job! You would make the King 👑 Of Pop proud!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

omg thank you! you have no idea how much i love when i get told that 😭

Crazy isolations, my dude! So subtle & so smooth! 100% on point 🔥🔥🔥!!!

Incredible!! That’s LOTS of hard work and practice! We haven’t seen the last of you, Johnny Cruz. ❤️

Nailed It! Amazing!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much!

Amazing job! This is the best impression if Michael Jackson I have seen! Great job!😊

Amazing, beautiful stuff.

Keeping Michael alive Love it

Dang son! That was Smooth as quality silk. Talent and practice took you far.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

So effing talented!🎉🎉🎉

WHAAAAA! This was totally awesome! 😱🔥❤

MJ would be proud 👏👍

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

you have no idea how much those comments mean to me thanks so much! 😭💙

Absolutely spot on amazing talented dancer this young man is congratulations! 🎉🎉🎉

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Fantastic! This is my fav M. Jackson song and video and you nailed it! Couldn't believe how amazing you are!

Young man you brought tears to my eyes

That kid is talented. Michael is one of those performers that hurt my heart when he was gone. Like Stevie Ray Vaughan., they had so much more beautiful music to give us.

Yo Johnny, you gave me chills watching you. I used to kill this when I was younger, it’s nice to see ppl still doing it!!

you absolutely nailed it. *standing ovation*.

" YEAH JONNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Amazing energy and crisp moves!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much!

This is absolutely incredible!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much!!

People like you keep all of us "old" people alive and smiling! Keep doing what you do, and don't let anyone dampen your shine! You are what makes the future bright! ❤

Outstanding! Hundreds of moves to memorize

This guy is amazing wow i would not say i was huge fan of michael but love his music

I’m surprised no one saw the metal things on stage after the lean but great muscle just to do the lean

@jonathancruz1764

2 жыл бұрын

haha thanks!

@drewski5558

Жыл бұрын

Wot

Micheal would be proud of you Jonny.

U are AMAZING Jonny. 🎉 Thank U for keeping Michael Jackson's Legacy alive! 😊❤

Did you win? If you didn’t that’s literally psychotic

Your performance was top notch! Bravo!

Wowwww 👏👏👏👏👏

He is so so talented best thing I have seen for a very long time well done Jonny you will go far love from England

Very professional performance 🎭

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

wow thank you so much!

THIS IS SO GOOD!

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

thank you times 10.2 trillion 😭

The Lean man was fire 🔥 amazing thank you for the performance

@jonathancruz1764

8 ай бұрын

it was so fun to do! and thanks for watching!

One year after this has been posted and the performance is still amazing, you did an awesome job Jonny keep up the great work.👍

This was amazing. The way you did those moves so *smoothly* I want you to know, I clicked on this video because my school is doing a talent show, and I saw this and knew it was what I was going to do. The only problem is that all the tutorials I’ve watched, none of them were close to what you did, so I wanted to ask you how you managed to learn the moves. :)

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

everyday, practice! practice. practice. practice. record yourself doing the routine and go back and rewatch it. it’s hard and awkward but you can immediately critique yourself and you need that to get better. as soon as you watch it back, do it all over again. record, watch, repeat. also, one last thing! don’t watch MJ impersonators. watch MJ himself! he’s the best person to watch dance like him haha. i would watch his dances in .25 speed and mirror the video so i could see how he does moves and do it the same way and direction he did. sometimes i’d have to watch multiple shows to get different angles and different moves to slow down. most MJ impersonators do MJ’s moves the wrong direction because they don’t take into account the fact that he’s facing the camera/audience. so practice practice practice, rewatch the practice, adjust errors, and observe MJ! good luck my friend i hope to see you crush it :)

@lenv3e

Жыл бұрын

@@jonathancruz1764 thank you so much! Ill definitely do what you told me!

@lenv3e

Жыл бұрын

could i also ask what audio you used for the song? it seems like an extended version of smooth criminal, but i cant find anything on youtube that matches.

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

@@lenv3e I genuinely can’t find it. I think I used the CVG studio version but added the voice over in the beginning from a different studio version and just merged the two together in garage band!

@lenv3e

Жыл бұрын

@@jonathancruz1764 oh thats totally fine! im sure i can find an extended version if i cant do what you did. thanks for your time and effort!

Wow! Really stunning and had me watching all the way through.❤️👏🏻👏🏻Michael def would be proud .👆🏻😎

@jonathancruz1764

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much 😭

@carolyn6689

Жыл бұрын

@@jonathancruz1764 ☺️👍🏻You're so welcome .Hope you're still dancing. 😎