Newmark Theatre

Memphis Jookin’: The Show featuring Lil Buck

Memphis Jookin' The Show – Promo B4 2

Direct from Memphis, TN, where a local street dance became an international phenomenon.

In this new production, renowned dance artist Lil Buck conceives, choreographs, and performs an ode to his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, the birthplace of the singular dance style known as Memphis Jookin’. The 90-minute show chronicles the emergence of the art form, from local street dance to international phenomenon. Eight dancers and a DJ perform alongside Lil Buck to a soundtrack that evokes the energy of the streets and the clubs where Memphis Jookin’ was born.

“Jookin was this diamond in the rough. It was raw, real and gangster. I’d only ever seen people like Michael Jackson dancing on VHS tapes, living a superstar life that wasn’t attainable. So when I saw Jookin being done in my own backyard, and being danced by people who looked like me, that blew my mind. I knew immediately: I want that so bad.”— Lil Buck

Buck’s power derives from the ability to get to the bottom of what something feels like for him and then to express it to the world. — Gia Kourlas, New York Times

tour.memphisjookin.com

ABOUT LIL BUCK:

Lil Buck, born in Chicago in 1988 and raised in Memphis, became a YouTube sensation after director Spike Jonze uploaded a video of his dance improvisation with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In addition to being the ambassador of one of the most ground breaking dance styles of this generation, Memphis Jookin', Lil Buck also founded the dance collective Movement Art Is (MAI), an organization that uses dance and movement to inspire and change the world. Lil Buck is also the first street dancer ever to design a capsule collection with Versace, and in February 2012, He joined Madonna for her Super Bowl halftime show, which broke the record for the most-watched television program in American history. He also completed two world tours with Madonna: MDNA and REBEL HEART, and has worked with, among others, New York City Ballet and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. In 2014, Lil Buck was also awarded The Wall Street Journal Innovator of the Year Award.

Photos (c) Louis ‘Ziggy’ Tucker.