This Month’s Feature Stepping Instructor Chaundra Satchell

Chaundra “Shooz” Satchell is from Chicago and now lives in Hampton, Virginia. Although she grew up between Gary and Chicago surrounded by Chicago Style Steppin’, she learned to step right here in Virginia at Langley Air Force Base with Timothy Wilson.  But, her steppin’ granddad is LC Henderson. Chaundra has been steppin’ for almost ten years, instructing for about six years and she is the President of Virginia Steppers Education Fund. She is known as a very direct instructor but I can feel her passion for the dance so charge her Debbie Allen persona in class to her heart not her head. You can tell by her actions and history in the community that she wants this dance to flourish for years to come, but earnestly believes this dance won’t flourish without the young people – especially the men. Chaundra admits she would compete at the World’s Largest Stepper Contest one day but she cannot find a partner locally. So, her question is, “Men, what is the magic to keep you in this dance? Help a sister out!”

Time Instructing: Levels Taught: Teaches: Other Dance Styles: 6 years Beginner, Beginner Intermediate Ladies' Follow, Men's Lead Basics of ballroom, but not my thing

What is your style of dance? I am not one of the ones to do a bunch of fast footwork and I am not a big "give me a thousand turns." That's just not me. I just really want to keep it mellow. I want to dance to the music plain and simple. So, I guess you can call me that. In order for me to step up my own game I am gonna have to start doing a lot more of that. I am comfortable where I am, but I still enjoy learning it. I want to learn it all and be able to do it all, but when you ask me to dance and you want me to get in my groove and be comfortable, that's what I want to do.

Why did you start instructing? There was a void and need for it here. My original instructor was moving on. He was leaving, and I really felt like there was no one on the Peninsula who could really teach it. Once he left it was gonna die if no one took it over.

What would you consider your specialty? For me it's really all about that basic. The basic, listening to the music and enjoying the music in your dance. I am not someone constantly trying to teach you to do combos because that's really not where it's at. Eventually you want to move up to doing all those tricks but if your foundation isn't right it ain't happening. You're still gonna look like you're a robot instead of looking like you're enjoying the dance. For me it is about showing the ladies how to be a lady and then just smoothing that foundation out.

What is your teaching style? I believe in telling people the truth and some people can handle it and some people can't handle it. I am not here to collect your money. That's not what I am doing it. I am doing it because I really just want to share the love of this dance. If you are coming to me just to have fun for an hour that's not why I teach a class. You are paying me to teach you something and that's what I am going to do. So sometimes I am very, very direct so you gotta be able to take the direct from Chaundra. I do celebrate when you do something great so I believe you give a student the truth and love at the same time. We have a lot of fun in our class too so I am not just Debbie Allen but sometimes I feel like it. If you want FAME, you call me.

What is the goal for your students? The goal for my students is for them to really just relax - and dance. Know that their mind, and their feet and their heart are all working together. You gotta get that muscle memory going. Once your feet know what they are supposed to be doing, your knees are bent, you're steppin' on the beat, then you can relax and enjoy the dance. And for the leaders then they can relax and think ahead - two steps ahead - about what they want to do. I don't need to see students doing triple lindy's and a thousand turns at a time. I just really want to see them dance the dance that they want to dance, have it be on time and have them enjoy themselves.

Have you ever competed? I have done one contest and it was when I was really first starting. It was in Raleigh with Patrick Garrett from Raleigh. I was still really new at it, but it was fun. I got second place. I think there was another instructor dance I did in Savannah and it was fun too. I don't have anyone here that I can compete with. I would really love to compete in the World's Largest but I don't have a partner. Nothing really serious just mostly grab bags.

How do you keep up with the evolution of the dance and transfer the knowledge to your students? For me I believe it is always watching and taking classes from people. Yeah I got the basics of the dance and I can get around the dance floor and enjoy myself but if I don't keep learning then I can't share. It is changing a lot and some of it I like and some of it I don't like, but change is gonna happen no matter what and you have to change with it. I love watching the Drew's, Ed's and Amanda's(I think she is adorable), but also watching the old school people helping these new school people so they can be well rounded dancers. That's what the future is. If they know the past, can do the past and then add some future to it then it is still going to be a beautiful dance.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for new students starting now? First when you come to a class, there are so many different levels in that class. No new student should feel they are getting lost in the shuffle. It is up to me to see that this person is new this week and I have someone who has been here two weeks longer than that person. The challenge is to be sure I am giving them both what they need so that they can keep going. So, feeling comfortable for the student. Second, I think just getting that timing is probably the hardest thing. If you want to put some numbers in it, I think the 4 is the hardest thing for the woman to get, because either you end up rushing it, pushing back on it, or going the wrong direction on 4. It just seems like since I have been dancing, the four has been the hardest number for the woman to get.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for beginner advanced students? It is hard not to get ahead of yourself. Everybody wants it, but not everybody puts in the time to get it. And in your mind you think, "I got this!" but I am watching it and I know you don't. So how do you say to that person I know what you want to do but this ain't right yet? That I think is hard for a beginner intermediate because they want to do it so badly, and they want to be able to do all they see the heavy hitters do but they are just not there yet.

What is your key word of advice to any stepper? Relax and take your time. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to get this dance right. It took me a long time to get things right where I feel comfortable. You can't be anybody but yourself. You ain't gonna be Charnice, Yvette, or Sherry We can only be Chaundra and Sonji. So take what they have given you but make it your own. Hey, there's only one Tykmann. There's only one Dre. So you just have to be yourself. Period.

Do you have any workshops or events coming up you want readers to know about? I don't have any workshops coming up but I have my regular class continuing. I teach in Hampton at Hampton Community Center at 14 Todd's Lane on Wednesdays from 7-8:30 and the cost is $7. I do six week sessions and every session I take a couple of weeks off to relax for myself and to come up with more things to teach for the next session. In March, VASEF has The Emerald Set - March 17 through 19, 2017. That's our big event. What do you see happening in the Chicago Style Steppin' community in terms of learning and evolution five years from now? I don't think I am even the person who can really answer that question. What I would like to see happen is to get this dance exposed to more people. I feel that if we don't get more young people involved in this dance it's going to die. Because it's got to keep moving and if it's just moving with us moving it when we're done it's done. It really needs to be exposed to children because there are so many kids out here who don't have anything to do any way. So teach them something they can do with the music they're listening to - not our music - their music. I kinda fight that because I am an old school person but I do know that if you want to keep them involved you need to involve them where they live and where they live is rap music. I hate rap music but that's what they like. You have to involve kids in it and let them see that it is not just old folks dancing. So they know they can put their flair in it and take it to the next level. When will we see you on the dance floor next? In North Carolina. I will be in Charlotte or Raleigh this upcoming weekend. I am not sure which one I am going to yet.