April Simmons has been steppin’ Chicago style for 11 years and was 23 years of age when she started. She let me in on a secret. She also secretly ballrooms, but only a few people really know about that, and she plans to one day get serious about it. Although, ballroom has not had too much of an impact on steppin’ she admits it has helped her spin better. She currently teaches Chicago style steppin’ classes in the Cincinnati/Dayton area and also travels some to conduct workshops. Whenever I see April dancing she is often leading and after her winning performance at the 2017 Detroit White Party I thought her perspective on the ladies’ lead would be a good one to share.
Why did you decide to learn the lead side of Chicago Style steppin’? A couple of reasons. First, I am a tomboy by nature as well as an athlete. Everything I did I always wanted to train and compete with the boys (LOL). In my mind I could do anything that the boys could do, but I believed I could do it better (LOL..). It’s no surprise that my mentality as an athlete has surfaced into my dance. I’m just not a girlie girl. Second, I got bored with following so I was ready to take on a new challenge, and I wanted to do something that matched my personality. Leading was my next venture. Learning to lead was also my way of helping others to grow their dance in my city. I love teaching. I am an educator by profession. In order to be an effective instructor, it was very important to me to learn both sides of the dance to maximize my teaching capacity. Everything that I have learned, I have learned from men in this dance.
TRUE OR FALSE. Learning to lead takes away from the femininity and grace of a ladies’ dance. And why? FALSE… Society has shaped what femininity looks and sounds like. However, my personality and mentality starts to make me rebel when people try to put me in a box simply because I am a woman(LOL). I believe in equal opportunity rights (LOL). Just because a woman takes on the challenge of leading doesn’t make them less feminine or less of a woman. I have had people in the dance community inquire whether or not I like women because I didn’t wear heels, dresses, and make-up. People are entitled to their own opinions, however if you ask my man he will definitely tell you how feminine I can be (LOL)… There are definitely no complaints (LOL)!! I’m able to turn my feminine side off and on and frankly it depends on the mood I’m in in that particular moment. I just dance according to how I feel. My dance matches what I am doing at that particular time. When I follow and the mood is right, the sexiness is there. When I am leading the tomboyish side comes out. Having the ability to adapt to my role at the time is what I believes sets me apart from other people. Gracefulness and femininity is simply subjective and women express those in their own way. We are all different. Women are taking on more leadership roles in the home and in their professions. I don’t understand why steppi’n would be any different (LOL). In my opinion everything we do we do with grace and style.
Has learning to lead helped you develop your dance? Leading has helped me bring more personality to my dance. My goal is to look like April in the dance not everyone else regardless of how well they dance. I am more patient with men learning to lead because I understand the level of difficulty. Learning to lead has helped me with timing, better understanding of following, and just really learning to listen more to the music.
What was your biggest challenge in learning to lead and how did you overcome it? My biggest challenge in learning to lead was remembering that I was leading and not following. Naturally as the follow I stay in left foot lead. Switching to right foot was challenging. But, I have definitely gotten better. I’ve been able to overcome because I practice a lot. Every opportunity I get I practice leading. Developing the dance takes time. It does not happen overnight.
What do you love the most about leading? I love giving others the opportunity to dance at sets. It’s funny because now when I am at a set more of my time is spent leading than following. The feeling of men and women wanting to dance with me is kind of exciting (LOL). The ratio of men to women doesn’t make it better. There are several people that go to sets and don’t dance at all because people won’t dance with them. So anytime I get the opportunity to put a smile on someone’s face (man or woman) I take it. I just love to dance and me being able to both lead and follow allows to me to stay on the dance floor and not worry about whether or not I will get a dance. Either I’m asking someone to dance or they are asking me.
What do you like the least about leading? There’s nothing that I dislike about leading. It’s fun, creative, challenging, and I simply enjoy it.
Who taught you the lead? No one in particular has taught me how to lead. I simply just started doing it one day by converting what I know about following to leading. When I travel and go to workshops I don’t get on the follow side anymore. I go to the lead side. For instance, when I come to Chicago I have to make sure that I hit Snoop’s class because he automatically puts me on the lead side. When I see Doc on the dance floor I dance next to him so I can take all of his moves and footwork (LOL)…. I’ve picked up quite of few things from a lot of guys. Dominique Robinson comes to Cincinnati every second weekend of the month so I learn things from him as well. Larry Collins taught me my first trio leading moves and my first walking moves came from Tony Butler and Larry Collins. I have picked up a lot of things and I have learned by doing. My sister Ann Hunter always works with me when we are at events. Her and I dance for hours just taking turns leading and following each other. My sister Sheri Talley (Share Bear) allows me to practice everything on her. I have put in a lot of work when it comes to this dance and quite of few people have helped me along the way.
If a lady is planning to learn how to lead, at what point in her steppin’ journey do you think it best to learn? If a lady is going to learn how to lead, I believe it is best to master following. The best leaders are those that have learned to master following. Because I know what I’m supposed to be doing as the follow, when I lead I understand what I am supposed to do in order to allow the follow to do what he/she needs to do and where they are supposed to be.
Posted by Sheri Talley on Saturday, June 17, 2017
At the Detroit All White Party you and DJ Shorty Smooth walked away with first place in the Ladies’ Lead contest. Why do you think you won? Detroit was a blast!! First of all, shout out to all the lady leads! Getting up in front of crowds is not easy. Shout out to Shorty Smooth who is a great follow. Having a great partner helps. Then I had the pleasure to dance with my OMW (Ohio’s Most Wanted) group member and brother Choc, second time around, whose following is pretty good. I had two great partners. But, most women that lead have only gotten the ability to put people in moves. We tell the guys all the time that just because you are putting someone in a move doesn’t mean you are dancing. I believe the one thing that set me apart from the ladies that particular day is my footwork. I feel I gave a complete dance. Leading a dance is more than just moves. I was able to dance in right foot lead.
What is your key word of advice for men that are following in the dance? I think all men should have to learn how to follow. Following will help them become better leads. It will also help them understand how the ladies feel when a lead is not strong or how difficult following can be when every man doesn’t lead the same. I believe understanding both sides of the dance will help you to become a better overall dancer.
What do you believe you still have to learn in this dance? This dance is forever evolving. There is always something to learn and I am never complacent with where I am in my dance. I need to definitely continue working on listening to the music to make my dance come more to life on both lead and follow. My goal is to be able to dance with any and everyone regardless of style. Oh yeah, and to bring the more feminine side out. Give the people what they want. LOL!!
If they had a Ladies Lead category at the World’s Largest Steppers Contest would you enter? Absolutely!! I think that it would be super fun!!