Litebulb

Bio

Chicago footwork artist Jamal Oliver, who goes by Litebulb, is known for his dedication to his city’s homegrown culture and his innovation as a dancer. He discovered footworking as a young teen and swiftly rose to prominence in the scene’s regular dance battles. In 2011, Litebulb became one of the first Chicago footwork dancers to travel overseas to perform as a group with Chicago footwork DJs. His time on the road with DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, who helped take the local sound global, set him on his current path. In 2014, Litebulb co-founded footwork collective The Era to tell footwork stories through dance, art, film, and music, and help teach a new generation of dancers. This year, DJ Spinn joined The Era as the collective’s music director. Their first official collaboration, an EP called COMBO PACK, which features Litebulb and the rest of The Era crew on the mic, is out now. Litebulb is currently working on his first art exhibition, titled NEW GHOST, which won the New England Foundation for the Arts Production Grant in 2023. NEW GHOST will premiere in summer 2025 at Hairpin Art Studio in Chicago.