Lil Buck and Jon Boogz: The Campus Event You Don’t Want to Miss

Article by Emily Rain, Senior English major with Language, Writing, & Rhetoric concentration

Two movement artists, Lil Buck and Jon Boogz, are breaking down the walls surrounding the idea of what dance is and means. Through their powerfully themed performances, they aim to awaken awareness to social justice as well as encourage reflection and growth. On Saturday, February 2nd at 8pm, NC State LIVE will bring their inspirational messages to campus for an event you don’t want to miss.

The event will feature the performance, Love Heals All Wounds, which is a sequence of dance scenes interspersed with spoken poetical verse of Robin Sanders. The performance incorporates dance movements with roots in street dance styles of both the artists; Lil Buck specializing in jookin’ and J Boogz in popping. Each scene focuses on a contemporary social issue that is plaguing our society, such as police brutality, mass incarceration, gender equality and racial equality. The performance includes a dance piece on the concept of walls and borders in relation to the recent government strifes over the funding of the border wall.

Love Heals All Wounds draws attention not only to the social issues our society faces, but also asks the audience to consider a solution. The artists use captivating dance techniques in combination with gripping prose to inspire the audience to come together and find that the only solution to these social issues is love.

Lil Buck and Jon Boogz founded Movement Art Is (MAI), a non-profit organization that uses the power of movement artistry to create dance videos and live performances to “inspire and change the world while elevating the artistic, educational and social impact of dance.” Lil Buck and Jon Boogz have used their passion in the art of dance movement to create short films such as “Color of Reality” (see below), which was driven by distress from the police shootings of black men. They have also created the short film, “Honor Thy Mother”, which is about the need for humans to protect and take care of our planet.

“Color of Reality” by Lil Buck and Jon Boogz in collaboration with painter Alexa Meade.

Student tickets for the event are only $8, so skip your morning venti from Starbucks and come see this compelling and impressive live performance that will encourage deeper thought on social ills seen in news headlines – and hopefully educate about these issues, inspire healing, and create a renewed sense of unity. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to experience the moving message behind this unique display of the art that is dance.

BONUS EVENT! The Dance Program and NC State LIVE have teamed up to provide a free master class with dancers from Love Heals All Wounds that explores their creative process. The class is open to all NC State students, faculty and staff – no dance experience necessary – who want to try something new. The master class will take place on Friday, Feb 1 from 1:30pm to 2:45pm in Carmichael Dance Studio 2307. Read more about the class and sign up here.

Visit the NC State LIVE website if you’d like more information on the Love Heals All Wounds by Lil Buck and Jon Boogz on Feb 2 at 8pm in Stewart Theatre, or to find other exciting events coming to campus.