Instructor

Lil Buck

Charles "Lil Buck" Riley is a movement artist known for bringing a street dance culture called Memphis Jookin', to a mainstream audience across the world. Raised in Memphis, TN he was introduced to the urban street dance style around the age of 13 yrs old, after moving up in the Jookin ranks he studied ballet for two years on scholarship.. He quickly made a niche for himself by adding his own style and imagination to create signature moves – which include gliding across space as if gravity doesn’t exist. In 2011, Lil Buck collaborated with YoYo Ma to his rendition of Camille Sain-Saens’ “The Swan.” Spike Jonze happened to be in the audience and was so blown away by the performance, he taped it on his phone and posted it on the internet. The video quickly went viral with over 3 million views on YouTube. Since then, he’s performed with Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: One”, Benjamin Millipied, Janelle Monae and Madonna to name a few. His dancing abilities combined with his unique style has made him a fashion icon. Lil Buck was awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovator award in 2014. In 2015 he collaborated alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov in a campaign for Rag & Bone’s Fall/Winter campaign and has appeared in ads for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Jordan, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, Kaporal Jeans, Gap and more. He also designed a capsule collection for Versace. Lil Buck continues to defy gravity in Apple’s AirPods commercial which had over 8 million views on youtube within two weeks. He also starred in Lexus’ 2017 Super Bowl commercial, and you can see some of his moves through the role of the “Mouse King” in Disney’s feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” Buck is Co-Founder of MOVEMENT ART IS, an organization focused on using movement artistry to inspire change in the world. Lil Buck collaborated with dancer Jon Boogz and artist Alexa Meade to create "Color of Reality", a short film addressing gun violence. The film won CNN’s Great Big Story “Art as Impact” Award and Toronto Short Festival’s “Best Experimental Film” and was also nominated for World of Dance’s “Concept Video of the Year”. Buck also starred in the nature inspired short film “Honor Thy Mother” which addresses the need for humans to take better care of our planet. Lil Buck continues to share his Art, Activism, and one of a kind style of movement with the world.