Lil Buck's Memphis Jookin Workshop

The acclaimed dancer takes to Instagram for an online class, part of Red Bull's ChoreoSessions series.

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Memphis jookin global phenomenon and star of the New Ballet Ensemble’s Nut ReMix, dancer  Charles “Lil Buck” Riley will take over Red Bull’s Instagram to teach a class on Memphis jookin Wednesday, July 29th, at 12 noon CST. The class is a part of Red Bull’s #RedBullChoreoSessions dance series.

Wednesday’s Instagram takeover is just part of how Lil Buck is keeping himself busy during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “It’s affected all the dancers who usually perform on social stages,” he says. “I feel blessed to do different performances and different jobs. I’ve been working with Julliard and a lot of different people in regard to dance. It’s a lot of Zoom.” 

“I’m working on a film about bullying and bullying awareness,” he adds. “I’m working on a lot of different films right now that normally I wouldn’t give myself enough time to do. Be on the lookout for a lot of new content coming from Lil Buck soon.”

But Memphis jookin, the dance style that originated in Memphis and helped Lil Buck make his mark on the performance world, is close to his heart. He has long been an ambassador of the dance and the streets that birthed it. “A lot of dances are influenced by [Memphis jookin], but there’s not a lot of knowledge about it. There’s not a lot of education about it,” he says. “In my class, you’re gonna get that education that you’ve been yearning for and that people really need to be able to take on Memphis jookin how they want — and to have respect for the dance style and the culture.”

Lil Buck hopes his workshop will inspire dancers to learn more about jookin, both the dance and the culture. It’s the only sure way to preserve that piece of Memphis.

Lil Buck says he aims to “help bring awareness around the culture of Memphis Jookin.” He explains that for a long time, the dance, for all its global popularity, wasn’t really taught to the public. But there’s really only one way to make sure people understand the history of the dance and its particular moves: “That’s to actually teach it.”

“There’s not a lot of opportunity in Memphis for dance in general, for people to make an actual career, a sustainable living as a dancer,” he says.

“It’s up to us, ultimately, to really get that information out there,” he continues, mentioning the names of other dancers, Daniel Price, Dr. Rico, and others. “At first my whole mission when I moved to L.A. was about just putting Memphis Jookin on the map.”

Lil Buck hopes his workshop will inspire dancers to learn more about jookin, both the dance and the culture. It’s the only sure way to preserve that piece of Memphis.

“If there was one thing I could tell a young, fresh dancer, I would say, ‘have patience,’” Buck says. “Have patience with yourself and have patience in learning. Don’t rush the process.”

Lil Buck’s Memphis Jookin Workshop is Wednesday, July 29th, at 10 a.m., at instagram.com/redbulldance/?hl=en