Charlsie Hylick Reveals the Mindset of a Dynamic Stepper

I remember seeing Charlsie Hylick for the first time on a Friday night at East of the Ryan. She was traveling around the dancefloor with Nikee. She was memorable because she was sexy, artistic, and fluid. Charlsie exhibited everything I thought a woman should be on any dancefloor – confident, powerful, and unforgettable. She was burning a hole in the dance floor, and I wasn’t the only one staring. Finally, here was a woman my height and build who was a great stepper. At that time of my dance, it was my homework to pay attention to the women on the dancefloor who looked like me and study them. I did not know who she was until that night years ago in Chicago.

After watching Charlsie and Nikee dance for two songs, I asked Nikee to dance. Excited, I tried mimicking what I saw Charlsie doing minutes before. I was so excited to try I broke my “be cool on the stepper set rule” by trying to “be brave.” The room was watching, some laughing, but I kept trying shamelessly. So, yeah, any duplication efforts were an epic failure. Trying was not a part of the homework, but now I had to find out who this woman was.

A couple of years later, I saw her again in Atlanta, GA, at the Heritage Ball All-Star Challenge. Terrance Pratt chose her for the blindfold lead challenge and partnered Charlsie with Westside Mike. Pratt said, “Charlsie is just starting to come back out.” They put on a show. They entertained the crowd. Although they didn’t win the challenge, they got the loudest, longest applause from everyone. She was not just a stepper but a performer and entertainer that engaged the crowd.

The 1997 Trio – Herk, Lola, and Charlsie

Have you ever watched the ChiStepper video of Herk, Lola, and Charlsie competing as a trio in the Navy Pier Contest? This is the same Charlsie. She was also a contest winner and beat some popular contest champions. Just watch the video because there are no words, except I have never seen any other trio like this on a contest stage or the stepper set in my entire eleven years of stepping. This is a classic!

I learned over time, going to sets in Chicago and watching a few videos of her, that Charlsie is dynamic. She has mastered Stepping and is great at all the styles of dance you see on the steppers set in Chicago. Charlsie walks, steps, wins trio contests, and gets down with the best of the best in Original Old School. And I noticed she is one of the women Ice Ray will ask to dance. In this interview, I connected with her about everything she loves in Stepping and what made her learn it all. Meet Charlsie Hylick!

Who Is Charlsie Hylick

Charlsie Hylick was born and raised on the South-East side of Chicago and has been stepping for more than thirty-five years. Her older brother and his friends introduced her to Stepping. From a family musically inclined with all genres of music, Charlsie fell in love with the music. I started competing in Stepping contests because the contest was a buzz in the Stepping community. My regular dancing partner asked my friend and me to enter a contest, and we said, “Why not?”

The Get Down, Man on Man, Original Old School

I would say “man on man” is a freestyle of stepping with your buddy to showcase footwork.

If two guys are not dancing from the waist down, with few spins and high-energy music, and part ways to do footwork, then you are not looking at “man on man.”

I learned that style of dancing because it was what I watched from the age of seven. My brother and his friends were always practicing. It just stuck with me, like learning a foreign language. The younger you learn in this dance, the higher and more natural the retention of the dance. It will always be there. Learning was not hard for me at all. I loved dancing and just wanted to mimic my brother, and I ended up evolving my style with it. This style of dancing is a staple. It is what it is; you can do it, or you don’t.

Who Is Walking

Walking is not stepping. It is a different dance. You can slow step, of course, but it is not the same as walking. The origination was culturally developed, like the Waltz. My grandmother’s era did Walking as a level of sophistication and class. I watched a great aunt in the house walking, and I was Mesmerized. I said to her, “I want to do that!” She pulled me up and told me to stand on her toes, and away we went. I perfected it when I reached my twenties with my mother. Despite the many styles someone may see on the stepper set; walking is a walk. Some people today who show the true essence of walking are Darrel, Andrea, LeAnn, Cowboy Greg, Ice Ray, and Don Vic, to name a few.

The Talent for Trios

Trios, when created, were all about synchronization, dancing with two females as one, and making it flow while looking effortless. Today the style has changed to people jumping in a dance and doing whatever. I learned to trio because it was something a dance partner tried on me and my friend, and it worked.

For us, in that contest, the plan was to go out there and get busy. Dance the dance while enjoying ourselves. We practiced one move, and that was it. We had done what we did in the Fifty Yard Line every Saturday.

Regarding skill level, I would say a stepper needs to be advanced to start doing trios, but you can still perform a trio just by being in the mix.

Charlsie Hylick is not someone whose name you may see on a flyer, but she is one of the women out of Chicago I enjoy watching on the dancefloor. She makes the dance sexy and powerful, whether stepping, walking, trioing, or doing Man on Man. She is one of the dynamic dancers you may see and meet while stepping on the sets in Chicago.

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Welcome! I am the writer Sonji Stewart. These are my travel stories about my Chicago Stepping experiences, traveling from city to city to dance. I hope my stories encourage you to join me in the adventure.

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