Stepper Walter Lane is from Apopka, Florida. He served 28 years in the military retiring as Command Sergeant Major. While in Detroit working for the Detroit News, he saw Chicago Style Steppin’. He returned to Florida in 1995 but got his chance to really focus on steppin’ in 2008 and has been steppin’ for 9 years. He has been instructing since 2010. As a club manager in the military and growing up in a club because his father was a club owner, Walter knew about entrepreneurship, running a club, and how to create an atmosphere for successful social events.
TEACHES ALL LEVELS
Walter Lane offers classes for free and as a community activity to provide a social outlet for adults where grown folks can go out and have a good time. His organization, Florida Steppers International, has outgrown any organization in the state of Florida and caters to a grown folks audience with a classy event atmosphere. Walter aspires to open a studio where he can teach children to step because he believes teaching our youth to step can prevent them from getting into gangs and other trouble.
What about steppin’ Chicago style appealed to you?
I grew up dancing because my father was a club owner. Going all the way back to school, we had a community center where we grew up dancing. I have always been a dancer even when I was in the military. I grew up bopping and I still know how to bop. But once I saw stepping I thought this was the classiest, most elegant dance on the face of this earth.
Why did you start instructing and become so deeply involved in the community?
When I started dancing the Orlando area didn’t have a place to go step. When I bought my home out in Emerson Park we had a clubhouse. I offered the clubhouse as a place for monthly parties for about 2 years. People came from Miami and Tampa. Once a month that clubhouse was packed. Because I had the clubhouse and some of the steppers wanted us to come together, I was asked to start a group, and I believed to do this I also needed to learn how to teach. I took classes from several different instructors until I was able and comfortable in being able to teach. Once I felt that I had enough knowledge of the dance I started instructing and then started a group.
What levels do you teach?
I teach the basics. You know there is a lot of discussion on what is considered intermediate and what is concerned advanced. I can teach the basic and I can teach combinations and spins. I don’t categorize my classes as intermediate or advanced because I don’t want to give false hope to students.
Do you think not categorizing your classes helps your students?
I think so. When you start to categorize and put people at different levels, especially when some have a difficult time trying to learn, I think students feel bad and then can’t grasp the different terms and in turn the dance. I don’t want students to feel like they have to be placed in a category. I just want students to come out, learn and enjoy the dance.
How do you motivate your students?
I cater to the social aspect of the dance for individuals to come out and have a good time. My goal is not to emphasize that this dance is about a contest. I want the student to learn how to dance. For the gentlemen, I tell them this really will have you stand out to ladies, not just in the community, but to ladies outside of the community. They will come and ask you to dance because you give them a good dance. I motivate the guys letting them know that the ladies spend their money, travel, and want to have a good dance. That’s the reason to know how to step. If men can’t lead properly, you can’t dance properly. You’re not doing what the ladies are looking for and that’s a good dance and a good time.
What is a key challenge new students face?
Students get frustrated because they can’t pick up the basic. I tell students that stepping is a pattern and if you can learn the pattern, you can do this dance. You may not be able to get it in the first couple of classes, or the first couple of weeks, but if you stick with it, you are going to be able to do the dance so you can get comfortable and go out there and have a good time. I know some folks who really just can’t get it and I’m very patient with them. Some people are like that but guess what, that doesn’t discourage them because they just like to have a good time.
What is your key word of advice for any stepper that feels intimidated by the dance or by the culture of the dance?
Everybody, I don’t care who it is – Tyk Man or Royce Banks – has to start from the beginning. I don’t use that word, heavy hitter, to put people in categories because that is what intimidates students. I hear all the time, “Oh, Mr Walter, I’m so scared to dance with you.” Stop it! I’m an individual who can dance. Maybe I dance better than someone because I’ve been doing it longer but I’m nobody to be scared of. Go out there and have a good time. And I tell my students all the time, if you make a mistake, make a mistake. That’s how you learn.
I took 3 classes and went to my first stepping event in Raleigh, North Carolina with the Triangle Steppers. Staying on the dance floor the whole time I was up there. Then Hazel from Virginia said to me, “When are you going to get out the lane?” I said, “What the hell is a lane?” I still danced all night long because I loved to dance and I had a good time. A lot of people don’t agree with me. I’ve heard some people say if you want to have a good time and socialize you need to go find something else. No, because there’s nobody that I know of that has a patent on Chicago-style stepping.
How do you keep your male students in the dance? How do you get them to stay?
Now that’s a tough one, but I have been fortunate that I have the luxury of having some guys who were already friends before they started steppin’. When one goes somewhere, others would go too. They were partners and best friends. When I convinced one to come to class he convinced his friends to come to class. Now they are all steppin’. So those are 3 guys that I have the luxury of saying, I got those guys because they are friends. Other men see that brotherhood and it motivates them to stay. Now I do have a lot of guys who come through the class and don’t stay. That’s throughout the industry.
I think everybody involved throughout Florida Steppers International believes if you have ownership then you’re going to work harder by making it succeed. One of the things I tell everybody is that Florida Steppers International doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to you all. To succeed, you guys gotta go out there and recruit people and it’s my job to provide the social outlet and entertainment so we can have a good time to retain all students. And if you know somebody out there who has stepped before, who is with a different organization, if they want to have a good time, come over here with Florida Steppers International. We are claiming steppers who stepped before. So, my motto, the group retains we claim!
When and where are your classes?
9401 West Oaks Mall, Concord Garden at 3:30-5:30 pm on Saturdays and 4325 Fairmont St in Orlando, FL that’s the American Legion on Wednesdays 7:00-9:00 pm
How does someone become involved with the Florida International Steppers?
I didn’t plan on being a one-man show. I do all the advertising, publicity, and everything for Florida Steppers International. But because I have such elegant events, I have individuals who want to be a part of it and those individuals who want to be a part of it have been a part of it for 4 or 5 years. I have a nice little following, but I do have my haters and that’s expected.
When is your next event and what should guests expect?
The 7th Annual Florida Steppers Extravaganza is August 17-20, 2017 – 4 days 10 parties will be in Orlando, Florida at the Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside Resort. This event caters to a grown folks classy, atmosphere. This is not going to just be a stepper’s party, it’s going to be an event. I take the guests to the beach, we have a fundraiser, BBQs, and pool parties. I will offer a lot of free stuff. Saturday night will be a red carpet event with a sit-down candlelight 3-course dinner with a live band concert during dinner to offer some type of entertaining like Glen Jones or Marzette Griffith. The hotel is at a resort 5 minutes away from the airport so we can stay open until 3:00 in the morning. Steppers will have a lot of things during the day, plus we will have a lot of stuff to do. I hope to see you there.
