Who owns a dance move?
Inspired by a lawsuit against a video game company over the viral dance move “the Milly Rock,” created in 2014 by Brooklyn rapper Terrence “2 Milly” Ferguson, choreographer Jeremy Nedd transforms a cultural moment into a provocative exploration of artistry, creativity and ownership.
In from rock to rock… aka how magnolia was taken for granite, five performers examine “the Milly Rock”, a simple yet infectious movement — circling and swiping an open palm while rocking side to side — that became a defining dance of the 2010s. Its appearance in the video game Fortnite sparked a 2018 lawsuit by 2 Milly and ignited debate around a central question: who owns a dance move?
“The actual starting point for me was the dance move,” says Nedd. “I’m fascinated with how a rather essential step allows so much space for complexity, freedom and play. The case gave a framework to think deeper about how not just dance moves ‘move’ online, but also who ultimately benefits from that ‘movement.’”
Through repeated variations of the step, performers Brandy Butler, Nasheeka Nedsreal, Zen Jefferson, Jeremy Guyton and Nedd uncover the hidden poetry, rhythm and virtuosity within social dance. The work also invites audiences to consider their own role in cycles of virality and to reflect on authorship, replication and cultural credit in a digital age.
The result is a kinetic meditation on rhythm, identity and the algorithms that shape what we see, share and profit from — turning a viral dance into a compelling live experience