Jam On: Music’s Best Dancers Since Michael Jackson

Five years after MJ's death, his performance legacy lives.

Aaliyah - It was as if her sultry and mature vocals came secondary to her dance skills. With the help of famed choreographer Fatima Robinson, Aaliyah kept even the most skilled dancers on their toes. She continuously incorporated rigorous dance routines into her music videos and had the world trying to impersonate her moves in "Are You That Somebody?," "More Than a Woman" and the final video she appeared in before her death, "Rock the Boat."(Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ImageDirect)
Mya - Way before she released her debut album in 1998, Mya was classically trained in tap and various other dance styles. Aside from being one of the top pop vocalists of the late '90s, the Grammy Award-winning artist was known for her sharp and graceful dance routines, like in her "My Love Is Like...Wo" video. She even took her talents to Season 9 of Dancing With the Stars, coming in at second place.  (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Janet Jackson - Her brother’s talents were not exclusive. Janet Jackson has staple moves of her own. From her Control days, Janet displayed an uncanny ability to dance, and 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814 would go on to influence many female performers to come. But while Janet paved her own lane as a double-threat, she had to attribute some of her routines to her older brother. Michael and Janet teamed up for "Scream" in 1995 and showcased a Jackson sibling dance-off that would go down in history. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Britney Spears - Britney Spears dominated the screen as a teenager with the release of her ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops...I Did It Again (2000) albums. With catchy hooks and average vocals, Brit Brit used her athleticism as a dancer to catapult her way to stardom. Each hit single she released was accompanied by a video featuring her slaying the dance floor. Spears was even among several celebs to share the stage with MJ when the two performed "The Way You Make Me feel" at the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special revue show in 2001.(Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)Jennifer Lopez - Before she was Jenny from the Block, Jennifer Lopez was a Fly Girl on the '90s hit comedy sketch show In Living Color, dancing her way to center stage. When she embarked on a music career in 1999 with the debut of her first single "If You Had My Love," J.Lo made it clear that heavily choreographed and poignantly executed dance routines would be a staple of the evolution of her performance art. Being that she once worked as a background dancer for Janet Jackson, she was bound to get the MJ bug, too.(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Mya - Way before she released her debut album in 1998, Mya was classically trained in tap and various other dance styles. Aside from being one of the top pop vocalists of the late '90s, the Grammy Award-winning artist was known for her sharp and graceful dance routines, like in her "My Love Is Like...Wo" video. She even took her talents to Season 9 of Dancing With the Stars, coming in at second place.  (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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