Reading Time: 7 minutes Yes, I am making contestant etiquette “a thing,” as someone said. In everything we do in the stepping community, by nature, some level of etiquette goes along with it. Contest season can be a very…
Reading Time: 12 minutes We continue the Drewry “Drew” Alexander interview with part 2 to focus on the men and talk about community building in Chicago Stepping with Smoothtivity. This interview became a different type of conversation. For a…
Reading Time: 12 minutes Drewry “Drew” Alexander has been stepping going on for nineteen years. Being from Detroit and a part of an urban ballroom community, he was exposed to many dances within the Detroit culture. Stepping was one…
Reading Time: 10 minutes The best part of Chicago Stepping to me is that it can be a lifelong hobby. No matter when you start stepping you can continue to learn and grow for decades. If you are someone…
Reading Time: 6 minutes What I will remember about the 2022 World’s Largest Steppers Contest are the resurgence of dancers, the familiar pattern of winners but other emerging contestants, the coincidental opulent fashion on stage, and the buffering social…
Reading Time: 8 minutes When steppers decide to enter the World’s Largest Steppers Contest, one of the most critical factors they can control as a contestant is at least one of the songs they dance to on stage. They…
Reading Time: 13 minutes Over years of conversations, I understand that steppers have different opinions and feelings towards the proliferation of Chicago Stepping. People are worried, joyful, excited, opportunistic, regretful, and enthusiastic. Steppers all react differently when we talk…
Reading Time: 13 minutes Conversations in cities across the Chicago Stepping community in 2021 about the NOADWBP hashtag created by Will Barnes in Chicago caused quite a stir. It seemed that a fellow out of Columbus, Ohio – Aki…
Reading Time: 6 minutes As far as the Mega Weekend in Miami goes, if you went to Miami without the intention of having fun in the sun, you should have stayed home. When it comes to having a good…
Reading Time: 7 minutes GDIGENTS or RWS. How Will Steppers Decide? In the last sixty days of my birthday travels to steppers events, many people have asked me about two specific events. “Are you going to Miami?” “Are you…
Reading Time: 12 minutes PART 2 Did you achieve what you set out to do with Stepaganza? I believe we succeeded. There were two things that I wanted to do with Stepaganza. I wanted to give the Stepping community…
Reading Time: 10 minutes When Iary “Kat N Tha Hat” Israel announced that 2022 was the Final Chapter for the Stepaganza event in St. Louis, I had several questions. First, is it the right year to end Stepaganza during…
Reading Time: 12 minutes If I see only a silhouette of her feet, hands, and body moving while she is dancing behind a curtain, I know exactly who Tori Tannette is. Her personal style stands out on any dancefloor,…
Reading Time: 9 minutes When I met Rose Wellington at the 50 Yard Line a couple of years ago, she handed me a flyer inviting me to her steppers set. Every time I have seen her since then she’s…
Reading Time: 6 minutes When someone can start a trend and influence others to believe in their idea, this is history in the making. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, there is a new trend making waves…
Reading Time: 12 minutes Introducing Gina Ellis Gina Ellis was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After graduation from Eastern Michigan University where she was a Physical Education Major, Gina moved to New York. She knew she wanted to…
Reading Time: 6 minutes When I first met Hollywood Frank he surprised me with a question. “Do you know who you were named after?” Not many people know who she is until I tell them but he already knew….
Reading Time: 4 minutes Finally, spring is almost here and the world is ready to dance. We are jumping with excitement because we’re getting back on the wood! It looks like slowly but surely we may see glimpses of…