Fulfilling a promise to myself, I went to Chicago at a time of year when there was no World’s Largest or major event going on. It was five days in the middle of March, and I had a chance to sit and talk with Michael “Westside Mike” Bush. A chance encounter at the 2012 World’s Largest Steppers Contest set my sights on understanding what I could learn from the man who left me dumbstruck when I saw him dance years ago. Westside Mike minced no words with his opinions and advice. Bundled altogether, Westside Mike left me a powerful message about helping myself and my dance.
- “You can teach footwork it just depends on how it is being taught.” I boldly told Mike my opinion that footwork is elicited from how someone listens and feels the music. I emphasized that you can’t teach someone to feel music the way you do. Mike responded by teaching me some simple steps, yet intricate footwork it seemed to me that I easily picked up, in the next ten minutes. Oh! Shut up, watch and listen.
- “The beat is the frame of the music.” Don’t dance to the beat of the music, dance to the rhythm and melody in between and across the frames. Now I understand the moments when I felt like a robot just stepping back and forth on the dance floor to hit just the 1, 4 and 7 with no flow. There are so many possibilities in between. Oh! I am listening to every note now.
- “You can’t listen to everyone.” I remember when I went from one weekend event to another attending one workshop then another workshop trying to learn from all the new names and instructors I had heard about on You Tube and Facebook. I learned a lot quickly but heard many different names and versions of moves, and protocol for steps. I remember wondering after only a few workshops “So do you walk up on your seven eight or no?” Oh! Everyone doesn’t give the same advice and not everyone that instructs can dance.
- “Lose the eight count and just dance.” In time, after learning the fundamentals, it is not about the count anymore. Steppin’ is about developing your own personal style and flavor but always honor the dance. It is about personal expression and a standardized eight count can take away the freedom of expression and just dance itself. Oh!
- “I control my body. My body does not control me.” There really are no excuses. Of course I made a weak petition to Mike that he must be double jointed to move like that. Mike demonstrated that the shoes, even a lady’s heels shouldn’t matter. Stop saying you can’t and know that you will. Oh! Okay.
Westside Mike’s down-to-earth, cool demeanor surprised me. He was easy to talk to, passionate, and no-nonsense about his point of view, but he listened. The most important lesson for me from our conversation was that I am the only one standing in the way of my dance. Am I thinking about my dance a little differently already? Yes.