Lil Buck facts for kids

Charles "Lil Buck" Riley (born May 25, 1988) is an American dancer, actor, and model. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Lil Buck is famous for a special kind of street dance called jookin. He became very well-known after director Spike Jonze filmed him dancing to a song called The Dying Swan with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Spike Jonze put the video on YouTube, and by November 2015, it had been watched over three million times!

Early Life and Dance Discovery

Lil Buck was born in Chicago but grew up in Memphis. He found his passion for jookin when he was 12 years old. His older sister first showed him some basic jookin moves right in their living room.

After learning more about jookin from dancers in his neighborhood, he spent less time on other hobbies. He used to enjoy drawing and playing basketball. But he decided to focus completely on getting better at dancing. When he was 17, he appeared in a local jookin DVD called Memphis Jookin Vol. 1.

Lil Buck also studied ballet for two years. He received a scholarship to the New Ballet Ensemble (NBE) in Memphis. At first, he didn't want to wear ballet tights. But he eventually agreed so he could perform with the dance company. While at NBE, Lil Buck first performed The Dying Swan. This dance was a team effort with his teacher, Katie Smythe. She helped him understand the story behind the famous ballet piece.

Lil Buck's Amazing Dance Career

Becoming Famous with "The Swan"

When Lil Buck was 19, he moved to Los Angeles to become a professional dancer. In 2010, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He also helped create the dance moves for Janelle Monáe's music video "Tightrope".

In 2011, a director and former ballet dancer named Damian Woetzel met Lil Buck. Woetzel saw an old video of Lil Buck dancing to classical music. He then connected Lil Buck with famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Together, they performed "The Swan," which became a huge hit online.

After "The Swan" went viral, Lil Buck and Damian Woetzel kept working together. Woetzel invited Lil Buck to be a special guest artist at the 2011 Vail International Dance Festival. They also performed together again with Yo-Yo Ma in Beijing, China. This was Lil Buck's first time traveling outside the United States. His trip was shown in a short film called Lil Buck Goes to China.

Dancing with Madonna and More

Besides working with Woetzel and Yo-Yo Ma, Lil Buck also danced for Madonna. He performed during her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. He then joined her on The MDNA Tour as one of her dancers. Because of all his achievements that year, Dance Spirit magazine named him one of "The Most Influential People of 2011".

New Opportunities: Cirque Du Soleil and Films

In 2012, Dance Magazine named Lil Buck one of their "25 to Watch." That same year, he modeled for a national GAP advertisement. He also danced in two videos for NOWNESS, a creative video channel.

Lil Buck spent most of 2013 dancing in the Cirque du Soleil show Michael Jackson: One. He also modeled men's clothing for GQ magazine. He appeared on The Colbert Report and gave a speech at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Lil Buck performed with Yo-Yo Ma for a third time in New York City. For this performance, he and his cousin Ron "Prime Tyme" Myles won a Bessie Award. In August 2013, Lil Buck was on the cover of Dance magazine. He also had a small role as a street dancer in the Spike Jonze film Her.

In March 2014, Lil Buck performed at the TEDxTeen conference. He also danced in a film for the brand Diesel. He performed with the New York City Ballet and was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance. He also danced in the opening of Spike Lee's 2014 film, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.

Recent Work and Collaborations

In May 2015, Lil Buck performed in Versailles, France, with dancers from Benjamin Millepied's ballet company. Afterward, he went on tour with Madonna again to promote her album Rebel Heart.

Continuing his interest in modern dance, Lil Buck appeared in a commercial with the famous classical dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. He also modeled for a French jeans company and worked with Versace to create his own line of sneakers. In November 2015, he was featured on the cover of The Wall Street Journal's "Innovators Issue."

In 2016, Lil Buck worked with dancer Jon Boogz and artist Alexa Meade to create "Color of Reality." This video used dance to talk about gun violence. The New York Times praised the video, saying it was like a painting coming to life as a protest.

Personal Life

Lil Buck is vegan, meaning he does not eat meat or animal products. He has seven brothers and sisters. While he is best known for Memphis jookin', he also enjoys flexing, a street dance style from Brooklyn. He is married to dancer Ai Shimatsu.