INSPIRATION: A CELEBRATION OF MY TEN YEARS OF KEEPING UP WITH THE WLSC
Sometimes in blog interviews, I ask guests to flash forward and imagine what things might be like in ten years compared to today. I enjoy speculating and discussing opinions on how Stepping may evolve or change. Instead, I want to flashback as I think about the irony of the ten-year gap between my first and last WLSC years – 2012 and 2022. What has changed in a general way about the WLSC in the past decade of the contest? What stayed the same? Dwelling on my firsthand experience and exposure, here are my first and last impressions comparing WLSC 2012 and WLSC 2022. I hope it can be insightful for new steppers and relatable for others. Let’s flashback to 2012!
I attended the World’s Largest Steppers Competition – WLSC – for the first time in 2012. 2022 was the last time I was at the WLSC. I have been to eleven WLSCs and competed in three of them – 2017, 2018, and 2019. And I know. I know. That’s nothing. Several steppers have attended every WLSC or have been in attendance for twenty-plus years. Some folks compete in the WLSC almost yearly, and others for over a decade. I am still relatively new to this, but I am true to this.
Price and Location
2012. My first time in Chicago was to go to WLSC 2012. Single tickets were $30, but you could purchase two for $50. I was not sure if they offered VIP seating at the time. Excited about getting to Chicago, I bought whatever ticket was available. I went into my first WLSC not knowing much about the event. It took me a year before I discovered they had WLSC Contest Preliminaries.
2022. Advanced tickets were $30, and VIP tickets for $50.
After all these years, the Tinley Park Convention Center remains the contest destination for the WLSC. The Convention Center is large enough to accommodate the fluctuating crowd of contestants and attendees arriving each year. The contest stage is even higher now and maybe a little bigger.
Attendance
2012. I did not know many people when I first attended the WLSC, but I looked at videos from 2012 and saw many more faces of steppers in Chicago that I can recognize now. The atmosphere was different and very heavy on the Chicago presence. I did not know many people, so maybe I did not have the right perspective being new then.
2022. The crowds have changed from what I remembered in 2012. When I take stock of the faces at the Convention Center, it seems to be a larger presence of steppers traveling to Chicago than local Chicagoans attending. I am unsurprised because Stepping has proliferated nationally to many big cities and attracted growing interest outside Chicago. Sadly, some steppers have passed away, but others I see out on sets in Chicago but not at WLSC. It surprises me always on the WLSC contest night that while I do my best to manage and maximize time spent at the Fifty and not lose track of the evening, many people stay in the Fifty and step all night, not thinking about the contest. Many Chicago locals and visitors wait to catch the contest online from people going LIVE on Facebook and YouTube.
Media Coverage and Marketing
2012. Media and technology have greatly impacted the reach and exposure of WLSC 2012. Markie Bee had complete footage of WLSC available for sale for $19.95 on DVD in the Majestic Gents online store. Other stepping media outlets provided coverage. SteppersUSA coverage with Markie Bee announced the contest winners, and Chicago Steppin Parties with Terry, hosted by Terry Hobson, shared video coverage from the entire WLSC 2012 weekend on YouTube. You can find many videos for individual contest performances on Facebook.
I could not find a WLSC 2012 flyer, but I saw the Facebook event Pete Frazier posted for the contest. Navigating the parties was a struggle on my first trip. I didn’t know what was happening, when, or where. It seemed that sets were planned ad hoc, and the next stepper set was announced while I was at another set. I went with the flow and asked the locals how to get around and get to the next set.
2022. Last year, Inside Steppin and Eric Gordon TV covered the WLSC live. Now, steppers can see the contest streamed live with host commentary on social media. It will be difficult today to sell even one DVD or contest footage in any format when videos are readily available online from the many attendees recording and posting their friends and favorites on social media. Vogue.com also created a fashion buzz for the contest.
If you are a stepper connected to the community through social media, I am sure you see Pete Frazier’s WLSC flyers that are posted weekly. Free marketing and promotion on social media and creative tools to make it easy have changed the game. There are many parties and sets on the WLSC Weekend; we know about them well in advance from flyers and posts on Facebook. We can plan what to wear and how many outfits to bring. Knowing enough to plan the weekend in 2022 is nice, but sometimes I miss the spontaneity and unpredictability of the weekend in 2012 at WLSC. Maybe I know too much now.
Ambiance and Glam
2012. My first impression of WLSC was the glamour at every party and set. Starting at the WLSC Pre-Party on Friday, everyone was dressed up and stepper sharp. I did not see jeans and casual wear unless it was at the brunch or a set outside of the main events on Friday and Saturday nights. The air was rich. The people looked rich. The WLSC was an elegant, classy affair. The contestants graced the stage in coordinated, custom-tailored suits and dresses. I felt that the mood of the evening was for everyone to show up at their best and to be their best, whether they were a contestant on stage or in the audience watching.
2022. When I look around, it is a more casual affair. The host and event staff are still dressed for a formal affair, but many patrons dress more casually. It is common to see some steppers dressed in even jeans at the contest’s Pre-Party and main event night. It is not so stepper sharp. However, I still see those loyal pockets of patrons at the WLSC that do not want to let go of great fashion, and I am proud of this part of the Stepping culture. Let me keep my diamonds ready. The glitz and glamour have not faded entirely. Contestants still go all out for stage presence and show their best. And I think the contestants have taken the fashion impression to new heights. Vogue.com featured the WLSC in 2022; the article testified to the fashion fabulosity on stage.
WLSC Flashback on Prizes
The Facebook event I found for 2012 WLSC mentioned “$20,000 in cash and prizes.” The 2022 WLSC flyer mentioned $10,000 in cash and prizes. The prize money is half of what it was ten years ago. Different factors may play into this change. In our interview on “We the Hypotheorists,” Terrance Pratt discussed changes in the WLSC and the loss of key event sponsors over the years. I checked, and the number of contest categories has not changed. In 2012 and 2022, there were six categories. But in 2012, there were the Trio and Out of Town categories, while last year, we saw categories for the 60 and Over and Best of the Best (Man on Man) – a special tribute to Ty Skippy. Both years had Beginners, Old Skool, New Skool, and Walkers categories.
The Contest Show
When I think about the show, I try to remember what performance stood out for each year that steppers talked about for a long time.
2012 was the year that the trio with James Pacely, Kammal Smith, and Ann Hunter stole the show. Videos of their performance were reposted several times on social media. The winning performance for Old Skool, Tony Dow, and Dominique Dow took the contest to another level, and the crowd was screaming and on their feet.
In 2022, there were performances with spectacular moments – Crystal’s split in her New Skool performance with her husband, Nikee. Drewry Alexander and Shawn Bandy’s winning performance for Man on Man and the feature story on Vogue.com was the hot topic for weeks after WLSC.
The WLSC Weekend Experience
Every year I attended WLSC was a mix of excitement, nerves, and anticipation. WLSC 2012 and 2022 were high-energy and intense, and I danced all weekend long.
2012. I started my weekend with the Terrance Pratt and Dre & Company’s Pre-Party on Friday and left on Monday morning. On WLSC Day, I started the day at a brunch set, but that weekend I danced all day every day and spent no more than four hours each night in my hotel room. I did not know about Donnie Davis’ workshop in 2012 and am unsure if he even hosted one. I am sure there were several parties I did not know about and missed because I did not know enough then.
2022. My WLSC weekend started Wednesday at Visions with The Davneys and lasted a week. On Saturday, WLSC Day, I started with Donnie Davis’ workshop with good food, great dances, and an exciting contest for steppers. Other than the contest, this workshop is the highlight of my weekend.
And certainly, things continue to change and evolve with the World’s Largest Steppers Competition year after year. I hope you enjoyed this quick WLSC flashback. I hope in ten years I will still be excited as I am today about the WLSC.
In Memory of Majestic Gent – Jerry Rooks
I was sad when I saw Pete Frazier’s post yesterday about Jerry Rooks’s passing. Jerry Rooks was among the happiest people I met in Chicago. He always stopped and greeted me with a big smile when I was walking too fast on the stepper set. I saw him at The Fifty Yard Line and Visions all the time. I loved his unique style and fashion, and the drama in his hands, when he danced, made me love watching him, especially when he walked. At Josephine’s, when my dance partner did not show up for the casting in a stepping documentary, Jerry and I paired up so I could be in the footage. I will not forget our moment. Rest in peace Jerry Rooks. I will miss you and your dances. I send my condolences to his family and the Majestic Gents.
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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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