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As a competitor, if you think like 1st place New School winner Kevin Doc Dockery, you’re already planning and practicing for WLSC 2025. Next year should be the long-awaited Masters Category and I am excited. The Masters “typically” occurs every five years. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was no WLSC in 2020 and The Masters was pushed to 2021. I look forward to it because WLSC winners compete against each other in this category. This is the “contest best” pairing up as they wish to go head to head. To understand exactly what this means and what to expect, here are the rules I found that were published for the Masters:

The Master’s Category is designed for Steppers who have previously placed either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in an Original Category. Both partners have to have placed in the World’s Largest Steppers Contest previously to be eligible for this category. Both Original New and Old Skool dancers are welcome in this year’s Master’s Contest. The Judges for this category will consist of 5 Original Old Skool judges and 5 Original New Skool judges. All Master’s Category contestants must walk for the first minute of their performance. Master’s Category participants are not eligible to compete in any additional categories.

Community Opinions on the Masters

As an avid follower of the WLSC for my entire stepper life and more than a decade, I have talked to many people in the community about The Masters. Here are some opinions about the category:

  1. To clarify, in a Masters year, other dancers still compete in Old School and New Skool categories. Because previous winners cannot compete in New Skool and Old School during a Masters year, contestants will be either new faces or people who have competed but never placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd before. On the lighter side, with no reigning champs in New Skool and Old School, it’s a time for new faces to win. 
  2. On the other side of the spectrum, it seems that both New Skool and Old School winners during a Masters year often find it tough to gain the respect and credibility they deserve. This is mainly because the contestants aren’t facing off against the proven “contest” best and former WLSC winners. It can be a bit disheartening, but it’s all part of the journey! Remember, the Masters is one day in a contest. Many great dancers do not compete or go for the Masters.
  3. With more than 30 years of winners in the WLSC, several winners qualify for the Masters. Multiple-time winners and single-time winners qualify. The mixup in this category of contestants can be very interesting. I’d expect to see many couples going for the Masters. However, the Masters can be seen as a daunting category. If I recall correctly, in 2021, no more than 5 couples entered. Some WLSC winners who I have already talked to say they are not going for the Masters until they place first in a regular year – not second or third. Here is the WLSC Winners History.

History of Masters Category Winners

To share some history on The Masters, here is a list of the winners for the WLSC Masters category to date and a walk down memory lane of one of the earlier performances in the category. Notice there is ONE winner – 1st place – in The Masters.

  • 2000 – Masters – Unique Maurice Turner & Tina Moore
  • 2009 – Masters – Adrian Haywood & Diana Haywood
  • 2010 – Masters – Andre Blackwell & Shareda Newburn
  • 2015 – Masters – Tony Dow & Charnice Simmons
  • 2021 – Masters – Drewry Alexander and Keesha Anderson

WLSC Masters 2009 – Dre & Margaret vs. The Haywoods – Chistepper 

Questions about the Masters

Of course, I am curious about the Masters as I speculate about what this category may look like in 2025. Is it too early to talk about this? I don’t think so. I reiterate, for the Masters or even regular WLSC, you should begin working for the next year, as soon as the contest ends. Here are some of my questions:

  1. Can someone who has won the Masters compete again in this category? 
  2. Why do contestants in the Masters category have to enter the preliminaries?
  3. In my previous post, I discussed the baked-in challenge of improvisation on stage when multiple couples are on stage at once in Old School and New Skool, dancing to at least one song they didn’t choose. In 2021, Masters danced on stage one at a time. Shouldn’t improvisation be part of the Masters challenge? And do contestants choose all of their music?

Thank you to Pete Frazier and the Majestic Gents for the yearly anticipation.