Reading Time: < 1 minute Here is the 2017 Year in Review/Recap. I decided to put together a video this year since it’s time for an upgrade. I hope you like it! Please leave your feedback in the comments or vote for the video.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ladies, have you ever been caught bending down, stooping, ducking or bowing in the middle of a turn? I have. This etiquette is probably more of a reminder for myself than for anyone else.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Often new steppers ask me “Sonji, when should I start going to workshops?” or “Is it too early for me to start taking privates?” From my experience, there is no “right” answer to either question. From my eyes, every new stepper should have enough information and context to make a good decision on when it is time to try something new.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sometimes the struggle to teach and learn to step Chicago Style rests with the paradigms and cultural differences that shape how we look at what is right in front of us. Two people can look at the same video of two steppers dancing and see it differently – walking away with different perceptions. Isn’t that the way it is with looking at any art? And, steppin’ Chicago style is an art.
Reading Time: 6 minutes When I first started learning to step Chicago style and going to socials and sets in Virginia, I met many new people quickly and thought the steppers community was an ideal dating scene. I still think it is. The social atmosphere is a definite upgrade from the clubs and lounges I was going to locally with friends. I immediately tried recruiting all my single friends to start steppin’ with me and to meet new people. However I also learned along the way that many steppers did not date openly in the community or just didn’t date within the steppin’ community at all.
Reading Time: 3 minutes I am finding myself in this dance, but are you? How do we as a community help each other show who we really are and keep it real with each other. Let’s talk about the matter of a stepper’s ego.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cynthia Catoe-Warren has been steppin’ Chicago style for a year now and is one of the steppers in my local area Hampton Roads, Virginia. I was thrilled when she told me she made it to her first weekend event in Arlington, Virginia at Steppin’ In Our Nation’s Capital Steppers – even if it was just for one day.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Should a lady ask a man to dance? I think there is no problem with it if a lady feels moved to do so. Nobody likes rejection and some women fear the man may say no and they do. What’s right and should a lady take her chances?
Reading Time: 6 minutes There are great steppers coming out of other midwest cities besides Chicago. Whenever I see April Simmons 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.
Reading Time: < 1 minute When I recorded and watched myself on video at home for the first time, I realized why sometimes my dance partner would whisper “Sonji slow down.” I am working on slowing down and here are some of the tips I have learned recently to help the fast and the furious steps in me.
Reading Time: 4 minutes I haven’t been home to Atlanta for a couple pf weeks now (LOL) and to not be there for the Black Tie Gala this year was surely a disappointment. I still wanted to hear all about it and so I had my friend Gabbi give me all the details about what I missed.
Reading Time: 8 minutes Choc James piqued my interest because his name is popular on Facebook whether in videos, at an event, on a flyer, or his name is a controversial part of a group conversation. And, he is everywhere. I tried to find out more about the mystique of this man and his love for steppin’ Chicago style.
Reading Time: 4 minutes At Big Al’s 2012 Steppin’ 4 Life Charity Ball when they did the state roll call I insisted on over the mic recognition of Virginia presence. I was one person in the crowd from Virginia hooting and hollaring. From that moment, many steppers called me Miss Virginia and I answered to it proudly. I got used to traveling solo and made friends in every city I visited but since 2012 there has been amazing change in the Virginia Chicago style steppin’ community.
Reading Time: 2 minutes This article is in response to requests from the gentlemen about etiquette on how steppers squeeze in on a crowded dance floor. Joining in and getting started on a dance floor, crowded or not crowded, is a situation that many men have to figure out in the Chicago Style steppin’ community in every city. Every…
Reading Time: 6 minutes As the mind behind Chocolate Girl Productions and host for The Stepping Into Fall Affair, Barbara “The Chocolate Girl” Hawk should be a good person to talk to about getting your feet wet in hosting Chicago Style steppin’ weekend events.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Not until 2017 did I hear the terms “squares” and “bums” used in the steppin’ community. I have always loved how this community attracts “different” people. I hope in years to come, we can all find a place on the dance floor with each other and still enjoy ourselves and have a good time although we are different.
Reading Time: 3 minutes I am thankful to The Most High for realizing this experience for both me and my partner, Tshon. On this journey, I learned more about myself, had some unforgettable moments, faced some crucial decisions and was surprised by new fears.
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the last two months I stopped blogging and several steppers have asked me what is happening with the blog. In the five years that I have been steppin’ and involved with this community, this is the first time that even my thoughts were so overshadowed by what other people were saying or doing. One thing hasn’t changed and that is my love for steppin’ and so for good reasons, I am breaking my silence.