Buck has gained quite a famous following, and his style has the special ability to transcend art forms. Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma called Buck “a genius” after viewing the dancer’s interpretive performance to Ma’s rendition of Camille Saint-Saëns’s “The Swan.” A video of the performance, shot by director Spike Jonze, went viral, amassing 2.5 million views. He danced with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show and throughout her MDNA tour. “She says I’m one of her favorite dancers,” he says, gleefully.
It’s hard not to draw a comparison between Lil Buck’s lighter-than-air footwork and Michael Jackson’s signature moonwalk, and Buck says the King of Pop influenced him in a big way. “I used to always try his moves [and] watch his concerts on TV when I was a kid,” he says. He spent almost a year dancing in Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: One,” the tribute show held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.