Women wearing high heels on the steppers set is a tradition and a way of life in the Chicago stepping fashion culture. On social media, we have beaten the topic of women wearing combat boots on the stepper set to a pulp. Let’s flip the script and talk about the tradition of high heels. Shoes – especially high heels – are my thing. It’s in my genes, and I have been wearing high heels since I was a teenager. The stepper set and anywhere I can step have been the best runways to show off my high-heel shoes. This tradition is one of my favorite community factors.
It’s not just me. Many women recognize stepping in high heels as a traditional and expected part of the stepper set culture. From thigh-high boots, red bottoms, ankle-strapped sandals, wedges, pumps, and classic booties, ladies on the stepper set strive to make a statement with their shoe game. It is a shoe parade if you sit and watch the women’s feet on the set, especially at the Fifty Yard Line in Chicago. We live for it, and I love it!! I know and hear that men everywhere appreciate it, too – especially in Chicago.
What Men Have Told Me About My High Heels
DJ Sam Chatman told me some time ago, “I love that you wear heels whenever I see you on the stepper set. Did you know that all the greatest women steppers wear heels every time and have great legs – like you? Don’t ever come to my set in any boots or sneakers.” Noted, and I comply. LC Henderson tells me at least every visit to Chicago, “If you are not in full uniform – a skirt or dress with high heels – when I see you, I will not dance with you.” Some men come to the stepper set to appreciate our heels. It’s an expected part of the set experience that some party hosts and promoters do shoe contests with prizes for the best heels.
Over the years, I have watched many ladies on the set who, most times, I see in high heels. I want to celebrate and thank them publicly because they help keep this high-heel culture alive – Tori, Linda Frazier, Bridgett, Annette, Chaundra, and Pat. I am sure there are many more to add to this list, but these ladies always stand out whenever I see them. If you know you belong on this list, I celebrate you too. Most important, I am grateful that I can count on at least one of them to show up in heels at certain sets or events, where sometimes I feel like the odd one out in my high heels.
Will High Heels Go Out of Style in the Chicago Stepping Community?
The answer is no. For certain, since I started stepping over a decade ago, the fashion and style for weekend events have certainly evolved. As the nature and themes of weekend stepper events evolve and become more imaginative, the shoe style is sometimes a part of the theme. For example, I have seen themes like Boots n Bling, Hatz n Heelz, Sneaker Balls, and Kicks N Beats. Imagine when I showed up in my high heels at a Sneaker Ball. Some reactions were, “Sonji, you missed the memo.” No matter the theme, the weather, or the condition of the dance floor, many ladies will continue to wear high heels to step.
The New School Impact on High-Heel Culture
Some blame the New School movement for the surge of ladies wearing combat boots and flats on the set. Because of the spins and turns in New School, ladies want to be more comfortable and capable to dance. And some of this comes with the newer, faster music that is a part of the New School culture. Remember the adage, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
If you watch enough videos from years ago, you will see that spins and turns are not unique to New School. Original steppers did spins and turns, but then those moves were unpopular with women. One lady, as Original as can be, doing it all in high heels and sweet with the feet, is Celeste. There is another surprising perspective I want to bring to light. A few New School men hesitate to dance with me in high heels and tell me directly, “They don’t want me to fall.” I shall continue to prove them wrong.
High Heels in the World’s Largest Steppers Contest
Some say the WLSC sets the tone for many things in the stepping community. I would be surprised to see women wearing boots on the stage at the World’s Largest Steppers Contest. I cannot say it has never happened, but I may have missed a couple of performances in any given year. Certain women in trios have been on stage in boots, but I think the Trio category is in a class of its own in some ways. I daresay that if a woman is not wearing heels in any other category, the judges might deduct some points for attire and dress. As DarkKim said in a 2019 post about contestants not wearing heels, “Are you really showing skills if you’re not in heels?”
No matter the era, I love the creative and fashion freedom that Chicago Stepping allows. When I dance, I want to “wear my high heels and stretch my strut like a slut and not give a !#$@#!.” DJ Black Cool and I are in a heated Taurus disagreement about what “kicks” I should wear to his Kicks n Beats Party for his 50th birthday celebration on April 21 – only a week away. As the stepping set experience evolves, my shoe collection might have to expand to more than high heels so that I can fit the fashion moment for these new parties. We’ll see how this works out with Black Cool.
Learning to Step in High Heels
Whether in a stepping class, an event workshop, or a stepper set, you will mostly see me wearing high heels. I will show up to your backyard cookout in high heels. I want to learn everything it takes to step in heels. It probably won’t be in my stepping wheelhouse if I can’t do it in high heels. How many ladies show up to class in dance sneakers and combat boots still surprises me. Instructors encourage students to buy dance shoes or sneakers. I have no problem with that guidance and every person being comfortable while learning. I have been instructed to do the same but never owned a pair of dance sneakers. Some instructors expect women to attend class in comfortable heels. I love it.
Many instructors have told me to wear lower heels or practice in dance sneakers during my stepping journey. For different reasons, I am more comfortable in my high heels. When I struggled with balance, turns, and spins, I was told not to blame my shoes and to practice. Westside Mike told me, “You control your body, nothing else. Stop with the excuses. Your body can do anything in stepping you want it to if you put your mind to it. And you can do it in heels.” If that wasn’t enough, Westside Mike demonstrated this idea in my high heels that day. Here is one of Westside Mike’s infamous moments of dancing and doing it all in high heels. He made his point.
High Heels in the Competition for Dances on the Steppers Set
When I planned my first trip to Chicago, someone said, “Sonji, you don’t have to worry about getting any dances. They will snatch you up.” Ha! I never believed that. Every time I head to Chicago, I know many beautiful women are on the set, many popular and dancing for several years. I must stay ready for the competition, especially as the stepping population in every city is growing. How do I get my dances and compete with this group on the set? I credit my high heels, dresses, and skirts and give it my all.
As LC Henderson defines it, the uniform is key to my effort. Any time the weather allows, and I go dancing, I wear my uniform because I want as many dances as possible to make every stepping trip worthwhile and memorable. And based on feedback from the men, this strategy is a success.
Five things that happen to me when I wear high heels to any stepper set:
- I dance with more men I do not know.
- I dance to at least two songs with most of the men.
- My partner’s lead is delicate and gentle. I am treated like the lady I am.
- I dance with older men who tend to be the more seasoned steppers.
- I feel like a butterfly, doing better turns and traveling on the dancefloor.
To each her own. Dance in what makes you comfortable to do you on the stepper set. You will always find someone wearing heels on the set, no matter how many women you find wearing combat boots. Some women may bring a change of shoes to break down from high heels to flats after a long night of dancing. Then, some women still follow the Cheryl Sugafoote Powe philosophy, “How you walk into the set is how you should walk out.” Dancing in high heels is a different experience than dancing in any other type of shoe. High heels are a part of the Chicago Stepping culture as much as footwork and carousels. If you haven’t tried wearing high heels, do it just once. It might change your life! It might change your dance!
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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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Jana
Love this! I stay in heels too! …but if the walk is too far…I will switch to sensibles, to the car.