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His attention to detail — was brilliant. 

WHAT – EMPHASIS ON SUBJECT

His attention to detail was what was brilliant.   (emphasis on subject, uncommon usage)
                 

What was brilliant was his attention to detail.  (common usage)

Michael Jackson's performance — exceeded our expectations.

exceed (v.) –   to go beyond, be better, be more
 

WHAT – EMPHASIS ON VERB

What he did was exceed our expectations.  (emphasis on verb, common usage)
      

Exceed our expectations was what he did.   (emphasis on subject, uncommon usage)
                         

BASIC (UNCLEFT) SENTENCE

That he had so much energy — amazed me.  (a clause as the subject)
He had so much energy. It amazed me.

IT – CLEFT SENTENCE

It amazed me — that he had so much energy.  emphasis.
  

That he did his own choreography — is impressive.  (a clause as the subject)
He did his own choreography, which was impressive.

It is impressive — that he did his own choreography. 
         choreography – arrangement of dance steps
 

That he is no longer with us — is a pity.  ("with us" – alive)
He is no longer with us.  It is a pity.  (loss)

It is a pity — that he is no longer with us.  
        
  

PERSON

Michael Jackson — could awe an audience.


awe (v.) – to have an overwhelming feeling of admiration and respect

WHO – CLEFT

A person who could awe an audience was Michael Jackson.
                      
Michael Jackson was a person who could awe an audience. (person is optional)
 

PLACE

Michael Jackson lived on — the Neverland Valley Ranch.

WHERE – CLEFT

The place where where Michael Jackson lived was the Neverland Valley Ranch.
                                     

The Neverland Valley Ranch was— the place where Michael Jackson lived.

TIME

Michael Jackson made "Thriller"  — in 1982.

WHEN – CLEFT

The year when Michael Jackson made "Thriller"  was   1982.
                         

1982 was the year when Michael Jackson made "Thriller".
          

REASON

Michael Jackson wrote songs — because he was inspired.  inspiration (n.)

WHY – CLEFT

The reason why Michael Jackson wrote songs was  because he was inspired.
                         

Because he was inspired was the reason why Michael Jackson wrote songs.
     
 

Biber et. al. Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (1999) (LGSWE 11.6)

"Clefting is similar to dislocation in the sense that information that could be given in a single clause is broken up, in this case into two clauses, each with its own verb… There are two major types of cleft constructions…"

it-cleft:
It's a dog I want.

What-cleft:
What I want is a dog.
 

Huddleston et. al. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002) (CaGEL (16 § 9.1-4.2)

There are two main types of cleft clause, it-clefts and pseudo-clefts, with the latter category having basic and reversed versions.

a) I bought a dog.  [non-cleft] (16 § 9.2)
b)  It was a dog that I bought.  [cleft]
c)  What I bought was a dog. [pseudo-cleft]  (16 § 9.3)
d)  A dog was what I bought.  [reversed pseudo-cleft]

Swan, Michael. "Clefts sentences." Practical English Usage (2009) (Swan 131.1-5)

"We can emphasize particular words and expressions by putting everything into a kind of relative clause except the words we want to emphasise: this makes them stand out." (Swan gives several examples, some of which are paraphrased  below.)

i.   A dog is the thing I want.
ii.  The thing I was is a dog.
iii.  In the dog house is where the dog stays. 
iv.   The place where the dog stays is in the dog house.
v.   What he did was bark all the time.
vi.  What happened was he barked all the time.
vii.  All I want is a non-barking dog.
viii. The only thing I remember is the constant barking.
 

TREE DIAGRAM OF SIMPLE SENTENCE

His energy amazed me. 

Click to enlarge. 
 

TREE DIAGRAM OF (PSEUDO) CLEFT SENTENCE

His energy  was  what amazed me.