sports
Land of the free movers: how jookin street dancer Lil Buck’s 1776 reframes independence
In a collaboration with young British dancers, supported by Oxford’s new Schwarzman Centre, the Memphis dancer tackles US history’s ‘broken promise’ of equality in a performance filled with spark
TL;DR
- Lil Buck, a street dancer specializing in jookin, is a visiting fellow at Oxford University's Schwarzman Centre.
- His work at Oxford involves collaborations with academics and young dancers, exploring the history and practice of jookin.
- A key project is the performance '1776', which examines the founding principles of the US, particularly the concepts of equality and independence.
- The performance uses dance to depict the contrast between the ideal of equality and the reality of oppression and conformism.
- The project highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration between arts and academia.