John Wall Dance

John Wall Dance arm motion.

The John Wall Dance is a dance performed by flexing the arms and twisting the wrist.[1] American basketball player John Wall first performed the eponymous dance during his introduction at Big Blue Madness at the University of Kentucky in October 2009.[1] 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.[1] LaShawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert, who inspired the dance, performed "The Shizz" in the music video.[2][3] The John Wall Dance has subsequently integrated itself into popular culture.[3][1]

On August 21, 2010, LaShawn "Sugar Shizz" Talbert, the inspiration behind the John Wall Dance, died after being shot in the head in Louisville.[2][4][5] Talbert created the dance "The Shizz" which was shown in a music video by Kenzo who further popularized his dance move.[2][5]

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.[6][7] 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.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c d Wahl, Grant (2010-01-11). "He's The Shizz". SI.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Lashawn 'Sugar Shizz' Talbert Dies". Hearst Properties Inc. on behalf of WLKY. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b Sharp, Andrew (2010-08-23). "The Creator Of The John Wall Dance Has Died: We Celebrate His Legacy". SBNation.com. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Inspiration Behind "John Wall" Dance Killed In Louisville". LEX18.com. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  5. ^ a b "28-year-old shot Wednesday dies". WorldNow and WDRB. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  6. ^ a b Eriq Gardner (15 March 2011). "'John Wall Dance' Rapper Sues CBS Over College Basketball Coverage". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Kensey Rankin et al v. CBS Broadcasting Inc". RFC Express. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2011.