If you’ve seen Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video from 1983, you’ve seen Vincent Paterson. You just didn’t know his name.
In that video two street gangs square off, and near the end two dancers meet in the middle for a knife fight before Michael breaks it up and turns the whole thing into dancing. Paterson was one of those two fighters. He was a young dancer then, a face in the crowd, one of the rival leaders staring the other one down.
Watch the clip and see if you can pick him out in the showdown.
The 1983 “Beat It” video, with Paterson in the knife-fight standoff
This Thursday, Oct 22, Paterson will be back in the spotlight. He’s getting the Vanguard Award at the Gala of the Stars, a fundraiser put on by the group Dancers Against Cancer, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The award will be presented by two well-known talent agents, Julie McDonald and Tony Selznick.
He’s in good company that night. Janet Jackson, Michael’s sister, will hand the Icon Award to rapper Missy Elliott, and Toni Basil, the choreographer behind the hit “Mickey,” will get a Lifetime Achievement award.
“We’re also excited to recognize Toni Basil and Vincent Paterson for their extraordinary contributions to dance and entertainment,” said Noah Lands, the head of Dancers Against Cancer.
So what did Paterson do to earn all that? Here’s the part the caption held back.
After “Beat It,” Michael trusted him with something much bigger. Paterson helped create “Smooth Criminal,” the 1988 video where Michael, in a white suit and fedora, leans forward at an angle that should send him crashing to the floor and somehow doesn’t. Paterson co-choreographed that dance alongside Michael and another dancer named Jeffrey Daniel. The video itself was directed by Colin Chilvers.
Paterson once remembered what Michael told him when he handed over the job. “You know, I trust you. Cast it. Get the best people.”
Here’s the dance they built together.
Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” short film and its gravity-defying lean
That lean became one of the most copied moves in pop history, and it started with the two of them working it out in a rehearsal room.
Paterson and Michael didn’t stop there. He also helped choreograph the “Black or White” video, and he co-directed and co-choreographed Michael’s huge Bad World Tour, the one that played stadiums all over the planet. Away from Michael, he directed Madonna’s famous Blond Ambition Tour too. The man had his hands on a big piece of how pop music looked in those years.
This last clip is a treat for fans. It shows Paterson himself working through the “Smooth Criminal” choreography, the steps up close, the way a dance like that actually gets made.
Vincent Paterson working on the “Smooth Criminal” choreography
Next time that white-suited lean comes on your screen, you’ll know one of the names behind it. And on Thursday night in Beverly Hills, a room full of dancers will stand up and say thank you.