John Wall Dance
Encyclopedia
The John Wall Dance is a dance performed by flexing the arms and twisting the wrist. John Wall
first performed the eponymous dance during his introduction at Big Blue Madness at the University of Kentucky
in October 2009. Wall says that his idea for the dance came from the music video of the song "Do the Shizz" made by the Louisville
rapper Kenzo. LaShawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert, who inspired the dance, performed "The Shizz" in the music video. The John Wall Dance has subsequently integrated itself into popular culture
.
On August 21, 2010, LaShawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert, the inspiration behind the John Wall Dance, died after being shot in the head in Louisville. Talbert created the dance "The Shizz" which was shown in a music video by Kenzo who further popularized his dance move.
On March 11, 2011, Kensey "Kenzo" Rankin, the hip hop artist from Kentucky who wrote the song "Do the Shizz", filed a lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting for airing segments regarding Wall and the dance. Kenzo owned the copyright to the song with Gracie Productions LLC and Marcus Clark and alleged that CBS exploited the song without permission, though he did not claim copyright of the dance.
John Wall (basketball)
Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr. is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards...
first performed the eponymous dance during his introduction at Big Blue Madness at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in October 2009. Wall says that his idea for the dance came from the music video of the song "Do the Shizz" made by the Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
rapper Kenzo. LaShawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert, who inspired the dance, performed "The Shizz" in the music video. The John Wall Dance has subsequently integrated itself into popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
.
On August 21, 2010, LaShawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert, the inspiration behind the John Wall Dance, died after being shot in the head in Louisville. Talbert created the dance "The Shizz" which was shown in a music video by Kenzo who further popularized his dance move.
On March 11, 2011, Kensey "Kenzo" Rankin, the hip hop artist from Kentucky who wrote the song "Do the Shizz", filed a lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting for airing segments regarding Wall and the dance. Kenzo owned the copyright to the song with Gracie Productions LLC and Marcus Clark and alleged that CBS exploited the song without permission, though he did not claim copyright of the dance.
In popular culture
- NBA 2K11NBA 2K11The game has received critical acclaim. Game review websites have praised NBA 2K11 for its developed controls, online multi-player, and Michael Jordan features...
by 2K Sports has John Wall on the Washington WizardsWashington WizardsThe Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
performing the dance. - Hip hop group Troop 41Troop 41Troop 41 is an American hip hop ensemble from Raleigh, North Carolina founded in 2005. The group consists of three members: T-Breezy, Lil Lee and Lil Inferno....
released the single "Do the John Wall". - Numerous videos on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
show UK fans performing the dance. - A scene in the TV show Cougar TownCougar TownCougar Town is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The series focuses on a recently divorced woman in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter, along with her son, ex-husband, and friends who together make...
references the dance. - Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
kick returner Brandon BanksBrandon BanksBrandon Banks is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Kansas State....
performs the dance as his touchdown celebration. Banks is from Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, the same hometown as Wall, and has been longtime friends with Wall. - When John Wall was welcomed onto the Washington Wizards, Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
pitcher Stephen StrasburgStephen StrasburgStephen James Strasburg is a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals, who selected him with the first pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft...
and Washington CapitalsWashington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
left wing Alex Ovechkin did the dance in a video, and Washington Wizards owner Ted LeonsisTed LeonsisTheodore John Leonsis is an Internet pioneer, sports team owner, venture capital investor, filmmaker, author and philanthropist. His early new media company, Redgate Communications was acquired by America Online in 1994, and Leonsis became a senior AOL executive for the next 13 years...
also attempted the dance. - On The Daily Show with Jon StewartThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
on October 28, 2010, Wyatt CenacWyatt CenacWyatt Cenac is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is currently working as a correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.-Early years:...
performed the John Wall Dance. - Magic JohnsonMagic JohnsonEarvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
performed the John Wall Dance at Rupp ArenaRupp ArenaRupp Arena is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Lexington Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and serves as home court to the University of...
on February 25, 2010.