Reading Time: 3 minutes August 27, 2021, marked the five year anniversary of the official launch of livingthe8count.com. We could not have made it this far without your support. Every stepper I meet motivates me and so much has changed and grown since this blog has started – because of you. And, change doesn’t stop. I am so glad…
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not uncommon for me to meet a stepper in Chicago who tells me they have never traveled to another state to go to a stepper’s weekend event. Gerald posted on social media that he was heading out of town for his first out-of-town event, Black & Bling. The event was held August 19-22 in…
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sometimes it is necessary to see things from the other side of the coin. This time, Kevin Brewer, the host of the Steppin’ and Glampin’ weekend gives livingthe8count his own review. Kevin gives the low down and insider’s view on the event and what steppers should look forward to next year at Steppin’ and Glampin’…
Reading Time: 6 minutes When she ran into one of her customers in Chicago, Laura was so happy to see, hug, and tell her customer thank you personally. She says, “I appreciate the steppers that have supported me. Without a doubt.” Laura Speight Manning is a stepper in Atlanta emerging from the pandemic with a new attitude, new products,…
Reading Time: 5 minutes 2020 changed the lives of many people including Feo Duncan with FitWitFeo. Historians should recognize and record 2020 as not only the year of a major health crisis but as a year of cleverness and imagination. When it seemed that the world was shutting down, many people became more resourceful and learned to do things…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Part 2: Questions with Q Interview After reading Qiana “Q” Wilson’s Facebook posts about judging for the World’s Largest Steppers Contest, it only made sense to get her perspective on the contest. This was a great opportunity to hear and share from the perspective of a WLSC New Skool judge. Every contestant for the WLSC…
Reading Time: 4 minutes A couple of years ago, I saw Qiana “Q” Wilson dance with Andre Blackwell in Atlanta at his New Year’s weekend event and I said, “Whoa!” There are not many ladies on the Chicago stepping scene that I see dance the way she does with Dre. I knew she was from Chicago and had seen…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Earlier this week, a newer stepper asked my opinion on whether or not they should enter the last chance prelims for the World’s Largest Steppers Contest for the very first time. He was considering waiting and entering in 2022 even after his instructor encouraged him and said he was ready this year. It was very…
Reading Time: 6 minutes Summer is contest season for the Chicago Stepping community. July starts the prelims for our most popular contest, The World’s Largest Steppers Contest. August ends the preliminaries with the last last chance to qualify to get to the big stage at Milwaukee’s Largest Steppers Contest. The World’s Largest Steppers Contest is in mid-September. In 2021…
Reading Time: 6 minutes The most exciting part about the COVID-19 pandemic is getting out of it. The quarantine was a well-needed reset for many people. I want to believe that post-pandemic, we’re going to see new fashion, new moves, and new music coming from the Chicago Stepping community. I first interviewed Ronnie B for livingthe8count in 2017. His…
Reading Time: 5 minutes On my first trip to Chicago, I heard about The Steppers 411 email. I’ve relied on it ever since to keep me connected to events in Chicago while hundreds of miles away in Virginia. I never miss an issue and it is my go-to for every trip I plan to Chicago. Cynthia Bean is the…
Reading Time: 7 minutes For 4th of July weekend, I decided to check out Aki Carter’s Red, White, and Smoove Event in Columbus, Ohio. After seeing Aki in Chicago a few times, I felt he had firsthand experience of the Chicago vibe for a great steppers party weekend and that Chicago might be in strong attendance. Seeing Chicago DJs…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Part 2 What is the difference between playing at an out-of-town event and playing in Chicago? I think being a DJ from Chicago, it is my responsibility to take Chicago with me wherever I go. Some out-of-towners may have not been to Chicago to experience the Chicago understanding – the ebb and flow of music….
Reading Time: 5 minutes Part 1 Born in Englewood, Chicago, Michael “DJ Black Cool” Thornton eventually moved to Calumet Park, the suburbs on the southside of Chicago. He didn’t know he was living only two blocks away from the club where he would DJ twenty to thirty years later – Geno’s. What I didn’t realize was that Black Cool…
Reading Time: 5 minutes Sometimes, as steppers, we forget how things are on the social scene and culture outside of the stepper’s set. It’s a different sort of world and behavior “out there” compared to traditions of etiquette that steppers expect from each other. We should talk about and teach these traditions too because it is a part of our…
Reading Time: 7 minutes The more I go to Chicago, the more I want to learn about Original Old School Stepping. When I competed in the Old School category in 2019 World’s Largest, I hardly knew enough – if anything at all – about Old School. I mentioned in another post the background comments in the video of my…
Reading Time: 2 minutes Friends, this was a moment of truth about remembering to finish out the song. While in Chicago earlier this year, I stopped by The Entrance to indulge in many more dances. If you haven’t been to The Entrance on Wednesdays already, you’re missing a great steppers’ party. Seriously! I was steppin’ with a gentleman that…
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago sets are coming back for the public as we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some states have started to lift the COVID-19 restrictions for public gatherings and nightly entertainment. Slowly but surely, some steppers are getting back out there and starting to travel again. I am one of them. I…