iTricks Reader Derek Merdinyan pointed us to a patent filed in 1993 by Michael Jackson, Michael L. Bush and Dennis Tompkins which was used in the ‘Smooth Criminal’ Video.

The patent describes how the invention ‘relates to a method and means for creating an anti-gravity illusion effects for entertainment purposes’ and details how Michael Jackson and his dancers could lean at 45-degree angles during live performances.

You can see the lean in action at about 3:48 in the above video. Similar illusions have been performed by other magicians, including Criss Angel, and the leaning illusion itself can be traced back to the 1800′s with various methods.

Posted by Webb on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at 10:02 am.