Who We Serve and
Our Mission
LivingThe8Count serves every stepper and all lovers of Chicago Stepping — new steppers who want to understand; experienced steppers who value the culture; Steppers trying to move smart in Chicago; and people who care about respect on and off the floor. Doing it for the culture since 2016, our mission is simple.
Share Chicago Stepping culture through meaningful expression
Educate new steppers through dialogue
Guide steppers who travel to dance
Call out what’s being done wrong – respectfully.
Losing to Win. Meet Ericka Jones.
Ericka Jones’ journey began in her grandmother’s basement on the Westside of Chicago. Coming from a dancing family, they always got together and played music and danced. “My aunts and uncles taught us all the latest dances. They taught us how to step so I kind of grew up in the dance.” Ericka lived in Atlanta as a teenager and then moved back to Milwaukee. When she was out with her sister and saw folks out stepping at Garfield’s 502 after a class, she was intrigued. Although what she saw did not look like the Stepping she knew, the atmosphere…
Hollywood Frank Shares History on the 50 Yard Line
When I first met Hollywood Frank he surprised me with a question. “Do you know…
A Different Reason to Dance. Meet Al Bowmen
The best part of meeting Stepper Al Bowmen is knowing where he came from. I…
The Davneys and the Magic of Work It Out Wednesday
A stepper weekend trip to Chicago is incomplete unless it starts in the middle of…
