anti-gravity lean

noun

In performance dance, a freestanding 45-degree lean, with a special shoe, anchored to the floor by a support bolt locking to the dance shoe.

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Meanings

nounanti-gravity lean (plural anti-gravity leans)

plural anti-gravity leans · alternative antigravity lean

  1. danceIn performance dance, a freestanding 45-degree lean, with a special shoe, anchored to the floor by a support bolt locking to the dance shoe.

Origin

Coined by Michael Jackson in 1987, when he created this performance dance maneuver, for the music video of Smooth Criminal. The move appears to defy gravity, as one would topple over without the special restraints used for the procedure.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

anti-gravity lean. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-gravity%20lean

MLA

“anti-gravity lean.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-gravity%20lean. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anti-gravity lean,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-gravity%20lean.

Source: anti-gravity lean on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.