Lil Buck facts for kids

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

Becoming a Dancer: Lil Buck's Early Life

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

He learned more about jookin from dancers in his neighborhood. Soon, he spent less time on other hobbies like drawing and basketball. He wanted to focus only 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 explained the story behind the piece to him.

Lil Buck's Amazing Career

2010–2011: The Swan Video and Madonna

When Lil Buck was 19, he moved to Los Angeles to start his dance career. In 2010, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He also helped create the dance moves for the music video "Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe.

In 2011, a director named Damian Woetzel met Lil Buck. Woetzel was a former ballet dancer himself. He brought Lil Buck and Yo-Yo Ma together for "The Swan" performance. This video quickly became very popular online. Woetzel had heard about Lil Buck from his wife, Heather Watts. She saw an old YouTube video of Lil Buck dancing to Le cygne (The Swan) by Camille Saint-Saëns. This was from a New Ballet Ensemble school show.

Katie Smythe, Lil Buck's ballet teacher, first introduced him to Saint-Saëns' music. She also gave him the idea to mix jookin with classical music. Heather Watts showed the video to her husband, Woetzel. Then Woetzel showed it to Yo-Yo Ma. They all met thanks to Katie Smythe, who helped connect them through Facebook.

After "The Swan" performance, Woetzel and Lil Buck kept working together. Woetzel invited Lil Buck to be a special guest dancer at the 2011 Vail International Dance Festival. They performed together again with Yo-Yo Ma. This time, it was at the 2011 U.S.-China Forum on the Arts and Culture 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.

Besides working with Woetzel and Yo-Yo Ma, Lil Buck also danced for Madonna. He performed during her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. He won a competition called "Dance for Madonna Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange" to get this chance. Later, he joined The MDNA Tour as one of 22 dancers. Because of all his achievements that year, Dance Spirit magazine named him one of "The Most Influential People of 2011".

2012–2014: Cirque Du Soleil and Film Appearances

In 2012, Dance Magazine named Lil Buck one of their "25 to Watch" dancers. That same year, he modeled in a national GAP advertisement. He also danced in two videos for NOWNESS. One was directed by ballet choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The other was directed by Jacob Sutton.

Lil Buck spent most of 2013 dancing in the Cirque du Soleil show Michael Jackson: One. He also modeled men's clothing in an 8-page feature in GQ magazine. He appeared on The Colbert Report and spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

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

In March 2014, Lil Buck performed at the TEDxTeen conference in New York City. In April, he appeared in another dance film by Jacob Sutton, sponsored by Diesel. He also danced in the New York City Ballet's Spring premiere. This performance was choreographed by artist JR and had music by Woodkid. Lil Buck was a guest judge on season 11 of So You Think You Can Dance. He also performed in the opening of Spike Lee's 2014 film, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.

2015–Present: Versailles and New Collaborations

In May 2015, Lil Buck performed in Versailles, France. He danced with performers from Benjamin Millepied's ballet company. After that, he went on tour with Madonna again. This tour was to promote her album Rebel Heart.

Continuing his interest in modern dance, Lil Buck appeared in a commercial for rag & bone. He danced with the famous classical dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. He also modeled for a French jeans company called Kaporal. Lil Buck partnered with Versace to create his own line of sneakers. These shoes were sold online and at Versace's New York City store. Because of all his achievements, he was featured on the November 2015 cover of The Wall Street Journal's "Innovators Issue".

In 2016, Lil Buck worked with dancer Jon Boogz and artist Alexa Meade. They created a video called "Color of Reality." This video talked about gun violence. The New York Times said the video was like "...van Gogh — that is, if one of his paintings were brought to life as a performative protest."

Lil Buck's 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. This is a street dance style from Brooklyn. He is married to dancer Ai Shimatsu.