"Jamal "Litebulb" Oliver is a renowned artist and culture bearer of the dance style known as Chicago Footwork. Hailing from Chicago's South Side, Litebulb co-founded The Era Footwork Crew as a teenager with friends and collaborators Chief Manny, Steelo, and P-Top. He honed his craft under footwork's originators, practicing in his mother's kitchen, and gained early success performing on stage and touring with pioneers of footwork music DJ Spinn and the late DJ Rashad of Teklife. As Creative Producer of The Era, Bulb has overseen the collective's evolution into a preeminent purveyor of the craft, performing for international audiences at Lollapalooza, Fader, and Walker Museum of Fine Art. Alongside his work as an artist and choreographer, in 2018, Litebulb co-founded Open The Circle (O.T.C), a non-profit dedicated to cultivating and supporting the next generation of Footworkers. Using an original footwork curriculum and pedagogy crafted by Bulb, OTC produced "Circle Up," an annual summer camp serving over 100 young dancers from Chicago's south and west sides, and the first "Footwork Youth Festival" in 2022.  

While Bulb, as a prestigious battle dancer, his work cultivating, performing, and pushing the craft of footwork transcends these confines. LiteBulb has been instrumental in multiple projects increasing the culture's visibility, including the short film "Footnotes," projected on Chicago's Merchandise Mart, and "I am Queen," focused on the women of Chicago Footwork. He curated the museum takeover Prime Time: F00TW3RK, positioning footwork within the Museum of Contemporary Art. He continues developing works for contemporary art settings, including the Era's award-winning multimedia stage show IN THE WURKZ and "The Process," performed by The Columbia College Repertoire Ensemble in Chicago.

Litebulb's work has been awarded grants by Theaster Gates' Rebuild Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the University of Chicago, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Field Foundation of Illinois. He was recognized as a "dancer of the year" in Dance Magazine (2016) and a "cultural organizer of the year" in FADER Magazine (2016). With his unique, expansive vision for Chicago Footwork, Litebulb continues to push the genre's edges while remaining true to its roots, ethos, and traditions. "