The Talent Show featuring the Jackson Five dancers (o:

The year was 1971.

I was in the 5th grade at Faith Lutheran "Morningside" Elementary School in Inglewood, California, which went up to the 8th grade. A small majority African-American school where two grades shared a classroom. The 1st and 2nd graders were in one class of roughly 30 kids, and the same with the 3rd and 4th graders, 5th and 6th graders, and the 7th and 8th graders.

The school year end talent show was coming up, and five of us in the 5th and 6th grade decided to win...I mean "enter". The participants were Kevin Jackson 6th grade, Andre Love 6th, David Walker 6th, Craig Cheltenham 5th, and me, Kirk Tanter 5th grade. The competition was against, for the most part, the dreaded 7th and 8th graders. The five of us would rehearse after school in the empty 1st grade classroom, which was more roomy, for several weeks. Andre Love led the group teaching us all of the Jackson Five steps. It turned out that without the video camera age of today back in 1971, that Andre Love had memorized all the Jackson Five steps "exactly" for the three J5 songs we danced to, which were:

1. The Love You Save
2. I Want You Back
3. I Bet You.

To this day Kevin Jackson and I, whom remain the best of friends since 1971, still talk about how did Andre Love remember all those Jackson Five steps for the three songs "exactly" as the Jackson Five did these songs on TV and on stage.

Showtime came and we were ready. We had a dress rehearsal, along with our two dreaded main competitors, the 7th and 8th grade boy group led by Zackery Parker danced to the Tempatations; and the 7th and 8th girls group led by Charmaine Jackson danced to the Supremes hits. In the dress reheasal, strobe lights were used for all the groups, including ours. The 7th and 8th grade boys however owned the strobe lights, that really gave all of us that concert feel in the dark auditorium. We danced to our three Jackson Five songs without missing a step, and finished to a roaring reception by the committee putting on the show. Our reception was noticably a much bigger reception than our higher grade competitors. The strobe lights in the dark auditorium made our Jackson Five steps shine even brighter. Needless to say, we knew then that we were the best and should win this talent show hands down.

Well, well, well...the next day was the talent show with the entire school in attendance for the special year-end assembly. We were first up, and bewilderedly began our dance steps to "I Want You Back", "The Love you Save", and "I Bet You". Why bewildered? Well, well, well...guess what? Yes, you may have guessed it, the stinken 7th and 8th grade boys removed the strobe lights from our performance. We had no strobe lights, as we did the day before during rehearsal -- where we clearly kicked butt. Nonetheless, we aced the Jackson Five steps and the entire school of kids still went wild, despite the 7th and 8th grade crooks.

The 7th and 8th grade girls group dancing to the Supremes 'were' allowed to use the strobe lights. Then the boys group from the 7th and 8th grade class closed the show out using the strobe lights, plus added a few more color lights than even the girls had. Despite the fantastic glittered look from the strobe lights for both our upper class groups, the kids did not roar as load for them as they did for us. The reason, I believe, was authenticity. Us 5th and 6th grade dancers, were more the Jackson Five than our competitors were the Temptations or the Supremes. I am not BS'ing you, Andre Love chereographed our steps to be "exactly" like the Jackson Five. We would later see the Jackson Five on television doing exactly what we did. And remember, in 1971 the Jackson Five were the hottest thing on the planet in the midst of record-breaking four number one songs in a role. Girlfriends came quickly for all of us after that talent show, including some of the admiring 7th and 8th grade girls (o:

Well readers, here were the results. Mind you that the judges were all from the 7th and 8th grade class that put on the talent show with a few teachers. "Their vote" went as follows:
1st place - 7th/8th grade boys dancing to the Temptations.
2nd place - 7th/8th grade girls dancing to the Supremes.
3rd place - 5th/6th grade boys dancing to the Jackson Five.

The audience literally screamed resoundedly in dis-belief. The vote was obviously rigged. We were robbed. And we were devastated for days to come, and we let those upper class fools know. We held our heads high though, knowing that we won and had arrived.

It was not too different than the real Jackson Five arriving on the Motown scene in 1969. A Motown that was dominated by the Tempatations, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Marvelettes, Vandellas, and the Miracles for many a year before the arrival of the Jackson Five. Many say that the Jackson Five had saved Motown, as the aforementioned groups had already had their heyday of hits and collectively over the hill. It was during those first three years (1969, 70, and 71) that the Jackson Five had four consecutive number one hits in a roll. No one had ever matched that feat of a new act having four straight singles top the charts.

Needless to say, the death of Michael Jackson saddened me greatly to the point of crying four seperate times the night of Michael Jackson's death. As a 4th, 5th, and 6th grader, I was actively a fan; a collector of unique J5 pictures from 'Right On' magazine; regular fanatic viewer of the eventual Jackson Five Saturday morning cartoons; and, of course, a dancing participant (in that 1971 school talent show) from the very beginning...and so was every kid in my class and throughout America.

Michael Jackson's growth since those early Jackson Five days was even more phenomenal. Seeing Michael Jackson dominate from the late 70's through the early 90's cemented my early notion that the Jackson Five -- with Michael Jackson as lead singer -- was the best entertainment that hit the planet. Though I was a huge fan of the Temptations, Supremes, Vandellas, Little Anthony an the Imperials, Miracles, Delfonics, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Joe Tex, Elvis, and Beatles fan...once the Jackson Five hit the scene, I knew that the J5 were the "IT" that no one could top.

And when Michael Jackson went solo -- especially from the "Off the Wall", "Thriller", "Bad", and "Dangerous" album projects -- I knew that Michael Jackson's complete body of work topped everyone before him. Yes better than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, Bing Crosby, and Aretha Franklin. The combination of Michael Jackson as the best balladeer, smooth, and upbeat singer; the best performer; best dancer; best visionary; and best choreographer cannot be topped. Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer, recording artist, and humanitarian of all time....PERIOD.

I think Andre Love, Kevin Jackson, David Walker, and Craig Cheltenham from that 'famous' 5th and 6th grade dance group performing to the Jackson Five hits, would most certainly agree with me here:

Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer, and best recording artist that ever lived!!!