Stepping. A Matter of Economics Not A Matter of Free

Right off, thank you for this question. To me, the answer is a matter of stepping economics, what is happening in this era of stepping, and understanding business opportunity. I had to connect with one of my cohorts in stepping, Damon Rose of Nyce Entertainment, to address this topic. He has a hand in business in stepping in different ways. NYCE Entertainment has been operating in three major categories of stepping for a little over 10 years. They host stepping events in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Their large format bi-annual event, Style Masters, features the top names and brands in stepping. Their small event format is for monthly sets in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area called Sipping on Sundays. The instructional arm is called the Stepper’s Lab to provide basic instruction primarily up to the intermediate level of Chicago-style Stepping.

Damon Rose is a native Chicagoan. He grew up on the southside in the Jeffery Manor area around 95th street between Jeffery and Stony Island. He currently resides in southeastern Virginia in the Virginia Beach/Hampton and Norfolk area. ​​ Like most Chicagoans, his parents were boppers. As a teen, Damon frequently snuck into the after-hour spots like the Other Place and Chic Rick’s after leaving House music clubs. “In my neighborhood, you step and dance to House music.” Although he was great at mimicking the dance, Damon had not learned the count. He did not take stepping lessons until moving to Virginia fifteen years ago and officially began taking lessons on and off around 2006/2007.  “In Chicago, it was easier to blend in as everyone has a basic understanding of stepping.”

Damon’s love for stepping is reminiscent of memorable times growing up with his family. His grandparents lived in the Dearborn Homes Housing Projects and hosted skate parties and stepping on the playgrounds.  He tagged along with his uncles and cousins and as a youngster became fascinated with the Chicago version of battle dancing – Man on Man. The music takes him back to those times. However, “the communal vibes, energy, and chemistry of beautiful and successful black folks coming together, tapping out the matrix, and simply having a great time through the dance is what made him fall in love with Stepping. I just authentically love our community!! The love on the East Coast for Stepping is second to none. It’s quintessential to the black version of Cheers, a set ‘where everybody knows your name!!'” Let’s talk business – in stepping.

Where there is demand there will always be supply. What does that mean to you in the context of the stepping arena? 

Stepping is no different than any other economic or consumer goods ecosystem. It functions very much like a macroeconomic model.  Prior to the pandemic, the market was extremely competitive with major sets running very close to 52 weeks of the year.  So, in that case, there was more than enough supply to meet demand. Steppers had a plethora of events to choose from. National events like WLSC, The Heritage Ball, and Stepaganza dominated the national market share. Regional promoters had to work extremely hard to earn/sustain their share of the regional market with the hopes of gaining incremental volume from steppers outside the core market looking for a different experience.  

Of course, we can’t discuss supply and demand without the attribute of price. Pre-pandemic, the market was extremely rich in supply so pricing in the market was extremely competitive. However, stepping can be an expensive sport specifically for the out-of-town market. Therefore, the costs for the stepper will affect demand when value and costs are not aligned. Additionally, location plays a huge factor in the model. Cities that are cost-efficient to travel to such as Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and DC have a strategic competitive advantage. Smaller markets like Virginia are somewhat difficult to travel to and are slightly higher in costs.  

Currently, we exist in a very different environment from a post-pandemic perspective. First and foremost, the health risks in the market create a challenging dynamic that has affected demand, unlike anything we’ve ever encountered before. We have seen some “nyce” recovery driven by pandemic fatigue as both WLSC and The Black and Bling event appeared very well attended. The demand is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. Inflationary pressure will also affect the rate of promoters and events coming back into the market. The steppers’ supply chain for both the promoter and consumer (stepper) has also impacted demand as we are witnessing rising travel costs and soaring gasoline prices. Therefore, some of the tailwinds will result in more smaller format events that are more cost-efficient and present less risk for promoters.  

Tell us about NYCE entertainment.

We, at Nyce Entertainment, don’t host events, we host memories!!! Our mission and vision are to offer an authentic and premium stepping experience in all channels of stepping, i.e instruction, local experience, and large format sets.  Everyone at our sets is a VIP! No matter if you’re a heavy hitter or a beginner! From our featured guests to our paid patrons, customer segmentation is extremely important to us!  We value all our strategic partners in the steppers supply chain, such as the DJ’s, WLSC-level instructors, hosts like Pete Frazier, the influencers like yourself, and Latika Billups from Talking Tea with Tika, vendors and marketing partners, like Sharvin Whitted. All these attributes contribute to the overall steppers’ experience and will ultimately lead us through recovery, back to prominence with a strengthened and renewed appreciation for the dance.   

What were some of the assessments or setbacks that you had to adjust for due to the pandemic? 

First and foremost, we’ve taken the position to publicly state our staff is fully vaccinated. We’ve operationalized health and safety protocols like any other business functioning in the pandemic. We encourage clients to wear masks and to hand sanitize between dance partners, to name a few. We actively practice client/stepper protection and responsibility as we continue to monitor cases in the markets we serve.  Secondly, I think everyone has had to adjust for the lost momentum in the category. We were in a full shutdown. Nevertheless, we all must be adaptable and find safer innovative ways to go forward. There is still a high level of uncertainty in the market and the pandemic is far from over.  

What are some of the other factors that affect how a promoter like you works and markets in the stepping community? 

Wow!! That’s a great question Sonji! The best advice I have ever been given came from Terrance Pratt about market correction.  You never have to worry about other events because the market will self-correct itself.  Events that over-promise and under-deliver will not survive! Be authentic, be original, and be innovative.  There’s one boss in this business and that’s the stepper! So, our approach is simple. Be a real authentic supporter of the culture and community. Have a laser focus on the brand to ensure we are over-delivering customer value at a fair price. If we can be consistent with that approach, then in the famous words of the 2021 WLSC Master Category Winner, Drewry Alexander on the Talking Tea with Tika Interview when asked, “What is to be said by a non-Chicagoan winning the Masters?” Drewry’s response, “The integrity of the dance speaks for itself!”  

Why aren’t you offering free events, free classes, and more to steppers? Well, first, do you offer anything for free? 

We firmly believe we over-deliver in service and value to our clients. I know for a fact most service providers in the steppers supply chain offer incentives, discounts, and over-deliver in service.  Stepping is a business and the cost to serve steppers is not free. More importantly, most of the service providers such as bars, clubs, and restaurants (locations) we operate in as an industry are owned by African-Americans. For those businesses to survive we must do our part and support the businesses in our communities that support stepping. Try going to some of these chain establishments and see what they tell you.  

If there are two things that the stepping community could change to be more cooperative in the business of the stepping market whether for events, classes, etc, what would those be? 

In my opinion, we do a poor job at leveraging our power base.  Let’s be clear – pandemic aside – collectively stepping as in industry has reached a million-dollar revenue base annually.  How many events alone were hosted at the Marriott? So, if we were able to pool our power base together collectively, we could influence organizations to partner with us, invest in us and gain more incentives that would not only increase customer value but be more profitable. This is simple cooperative economics (Ujamaa). Unfortunately, on the business side, we appear to be so focused on the competitive aspect that we often lose sight that stepping has reached a larger market share of the entire partnered dance industry and still growing.   

Another thing, in my opinion, as a broader community we could improve our intercultural diversity issues. We often hear about the intergenerational narratives around old school vs new school or out of towners versus Chicagoans. I think we can improve the perception of being more open and accepting of change cross-culturally. For example, I love the NOADWBP concept! Its offer differentially attracts a younger demographic which is commensurate with market growth. However, the rumors in the market around this concept were perceived negatively by the older stepping community.  Whether that’s true or not, is not the issue. I think we all can agree the preservation of the Chicago Style Stepping legacy is extremely important to all of us, but divisiveness and exclusion unintentionally drive steppers away and that can be a contributing factor to the steppers’ attrition rate.  

From what I have seen, your program and projects appeal to a New School market. What is the difference in how you position and market your events and classes and what has been successful? 

One aspect of our marketing strategy is positioning, and we prefer to be in the premium space versus a low-cost leader. The other difference is we understand, this is not Chicago! We work hard at exposing our clientele to its authenticity but with respect to the market dynamics, attributes, and offerings of the east coast. Consider us the Bad Boy of stepping!!! So, our style is slightly unique, we aspire to be a category leader and we’re unafraid to take risks in an effort to set trends in the category.  However, we remain laser-focused on providing exceptional customer service and experience and that’s led to our moderate success in a very tough environment.  

What does NYCE Entertainment have planned for steppers for 2022? 

Style Masters Chapter IV is on deck as the official kick-off set for 2022.  We take pride in that positioning with the sincere hopes we can drive increased engagement and restoration back to the wood.  This year we take pleasure in welcoming the God Father of Stepping, Pete Frazier for the first time to Virginia as the official host of Style Masters 2022 alongside Latika Billups of Talking Tea with Tika. Our workshop lineup features 2021 WLSC Masters winner, Drewry Alexander and 2015 Masters category winner, Charnice Simmons, along with Tykman Ali.  Musical hosts this year include Myron the R Robinson, Michael “Black Cool” Thornton, Patrick Garrett from North Carolina anchored by Oh So Smooth Radio CEO, Mykel Farr aka Shorty Smooth. Five hot parties over four days, including our steppers’ fashion show and brunch. We eagerly look forward to kicking off 2022 safely and in style. 

Thank you to all my readers and the steppers who inspire new conversations. 

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Welcome! I am the writer Sonji Stewart. These are my travel stories about my Chicago Stepping experiences, traveling from city to city to dance. I hope my stories encourage you to join me in the adventure.

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