Erratum: How did Michael Jackson challenge our understanding of spine biomechanics? (J Neurosurg Spine (2018) 30, (414), 10.3171/2018.9.SPINE181165)

Abstract

TO THE READERSHIP: We are very pleased to have published our article on an amazing dance technique by Michael Jackson and the secret to its success in a recent issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine (Yagnick NS, Tripathi M, Mohindra S: How did Michael Jackson challenge our understanding of spine biomechanics? J Neurosurg Spine 29:344-345, 2018). We are humbled by the attention that Mr. Kevin Pike has given our article through his Letter to the Editor.1 Mr. Pike was the special effects consultant to the “Smooth Criminal” music video, and he provides first-hand information on its filming. According to his account, a complex array of fly belts, piano wires, and cables was used in conjunction with an earlier type of shoe-not the innovative patented shoe technique we describe in this article. It was later, to recreate the same moves on the stage, that Michael Jackson and his co-investigators developed and used the patented shoe that we describe. With the new shoe, the wire mechanism was no longer needed. To set the records straight and to offer Mr. Pike's description of the filming of the music video “Smooth Criminal,” we have included an addendum to our article. We thank Mr. Pike for adding his first-hand account, and we welcome the opportunity to look again at the ingenuity of invention. The addendum has been added to the article online as of December 21, 2018.