All Hail Mys Tori Tannette – Queen of New School Chicago Stepping

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, and she is a force to reckon with every time she hits the contest stage with her partner. Her show-stopping performances and moments on the dancefloor make people stop what they are doing to enjoy every note and word in the song – all of the music. No wonder Tony Adway dubbed her “the Queen of New School.”

And, wait until you read the highlights of the history of her stepper contest wins for her to no doubt, “own” that title. Tori has forged her own path on the dancefloor and the contest stage and she is not finished yet. The revelations from Tori’s first interview celebrate Women’s History ostentatiously and tell an inspirational story about what a woman can do in the Stepping Community.

Mys Tori Tannette was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. She has been stepping for all of 23 years. When she was introduced to Chicago Stepping at 3Gs in Dolton, Illinois, it was her first time there with girlfriends for a birthday celebration. At the time, Tori had never heard of 3Gs or Chicago Stepping. She was more familiar with the style of bopping. Watching the dancefloor at 3Gs, Tori saw Chicago Stepping for the first time.

She saw amazing dancers and everyone was having a blast. Up for a challenge, she tried to join in and dance with a couple of people but what she was doing just did not fit with Stepping. Someone saw her struggling and asked her if she wanted to learn to step. They referred her to their class instructor and it turned out to be LC Henderson. Tori took the opportunity to start taking lessons with LC in 1999.

What made you fall in love with Chicago Stepping? 

The first time I saw Stepping was, I believe, also the first time I had ever seen a trio. I had never seen a trio dance before. That part of the dance really blew me away. I loved the way the men were showcasing and I wanted to learn to do that. At that moment I said, “I want me some of that.” I was drawn by the energy that was displayed. I love music and dancing. Dancing has always been a part of my background.

All it took for me to become interested was to see dance in a different art form with lots of energy. Then add a new challenge. When my bopping style didn’t fit when I tried to dance with the guys stepping, that just motivated me to learn. I love a challenge. I set in my mind that I’m going to learn this. One day I am going to be able to dance the way that I have seen this dance displayed. 

Why did you start entering Stepping contests? 

First, I never set out to be a competitor. The opportunity fell in my lap because all I wanted to do was to learn how to dance and to learn the style. Darrin Ulmer was someone who I danced with socially quite a bit. I thought we had a great flow and great chemistry socially. So, I talked to him about possibly competing the next time there was a contest and giving it a shot. He had entered competitions, but he hadn’t won anything. When he did not have a dance partner, available and was still interested in competing we gave it a shot and went on a ten-year run.

Tori Tannette’s Stepper Contest History Highlights

Contest Partners: ~2001 with Darrin Ulmer; ~2009 with Nikee; ~2019 with Kevin “Doc” Dockery; ~2021 with Royce Banks; ~2022 continuing partnership with Kevin “Doc” Dockery… and the journey continues… 23 years & counting.

• 10 World’s Largest Steppers Contest Wins with Darrin-Nikee-Doc (Trio Partners – Kathy Fussell and Paris White) in New School, Original Old School, Trio and Walkers Categories 
• 3 Champions of the Dance Floor Wins with Nikee-Doc in New School Category 
• 5 Chicago’s Largest Steppin Contest Wins with Nikee in New School and Walkers Categories 
• 5 Milwaukee’s Largest Steppin Contest Wins with Nikee in New School Category 
• 3 Northwest Indiana’s Largest Contest Wins with Nikee (Trio Partner: Jerry “Light Skin” Harris) in New School, Original Old School and Trio 
• Numerous wins at local club competitions around Chicago and Northwest Indiana. The most notable ones were hosted by: Hotter Than July/JEP Productions, Millennium 2000/Darrel & Marguett, Group of Friends/Angie Faine, Loose Shoes/Tootie, You 2 Productions/Carol Davis 

What is your favorite song to step to? 

First, I appreciate the DJs who know me and who have known me for a long time. They play my favorites and throw on songs that mean a lot to me to get me on the floor. DJ Eric “ET” Taylor, DJ Calvin, DJ Cross, J Boogie, and DJ Mike Flexx. Those are my DJs that have my back.  

DJ Calvin has a song he produced that I fell in love with the first time I heard it. “Oooh Da Da.” Whenever that song is on I make a mad dash to the dance floor. DJ Eric Taylor knows that if he plays “A Special Lady” by Freddie Jackson, I am running to the dancefloor. There is a song I love that I rarely hear anymore – “This Is Your Day” by the Phat Cat Players. Those are probably my top three. Not to mention, any JB song that is played gets me on the floor. I have been a JB skater for several years before I ever saw Stepping. The JB’s are in my heart and my soul. My two favorite JB songs are Mind Power and JB’s Monorail.

Some of my other favorites – Walking song: Phyllis Hyman-No One Can Love You More; WLSC 2009 Contest song introduced to the world when Darrin and danced to it: Dialtone The Producer-Step Off Into It; Jazz Crusaders-Party Joint. I heard it first at 3Gs. Darrin, Kathy, and I used this song for our 2004 trio. More recently, I lose my mind when I hear Tim Jones’ song That Bop! 

What do you see as the role of the woman in the dance Chicago Stepping?

Although I can follow and lead, the only reason I came into leading is because of trios. Nikee is the one who taught me everything about leading. If not for trios, I never would have felt inclined to learn the lead side. I am very comfortable operating as a follower. I developed leading as a skillset primarily for two reasons – trios and because I am also an instructor, so I teach both sides of the dance.

Personally, I feel the lead and follower are equal partners on the floor. My role following is just as important as the man’s role in leading. We are equal counterparts to one another. I allow the lead to guide me into whatever turns he would like to guide me into. We both complement one another. You can’t have this dance 1 without the other. I don’t see the follow or the lead as superior or inferior to the other part. The male and female are in a partnership in the dance. Each time you change partners at a set, you are now partners with that person. Now you have to move In sync with that person and respect one another’s role in the dance.

When we see Tori we know who Tori is. How did you develop your personal style and what influenced it? 

LEARNING FUNDAMENTALS

After a year in LC’s class learning all the fundamental parts of the dance, I discovered there was more freedom of expression in the dance than what was happening for me. There’s no other way for me to say it, but 123-456-78 was boring for me. It was not exciting, and I thought the lead side of the dance was so exciting and fun. To me, on the following side of the dance, that excitement was nonexistent. I was just bored. As a natural dancer, I’ve been dancing my whole life. I felt my expression and how I wanted to express myself when I hear music was missing. I took it upon myself to start doing me to create the excitement and the thrill so that I can have fun in this dance for myself.

TIME TO CREATE

Had I not created that for myself, I would have given it up and moved on to something else. After a year of fundamentally getting this dance, I moved into a space where I was exercising freedom of expression and doing me. I wanted to move how I wanted to move and how I felt my feet want to move. I started doing things the way I felt represented me in this dance. Not robotic in anything that I do in my life, I refuse to allow myself to embrace this art form and move in a boring robotic way. I knew it was time for me to stop going to class because no one can’t teach me how to be me. It was time to just go and create away from class.

There was a moment in class when I got bored and my mind wandered off somewhere. Creative ideas started coming into my head and I started moving differently from everybody else in the class. Somebody looked over at me and said, “What is that? Show me what you’re doing.” I fell back into what everyone else was doing because I didn’t want to be a distraction or to be disrespectful toward the instructor. That was my very last class.

THE INFLUENCE

JB skating is a strong influence on my dance. As a JB skater, I move my feet and learned the skill of listening to music. We listen to beats, the words and lyrics, melody, and every part of the music – the bass and certain instruments that are being played. Hearing music is different than listening to music. I can interpret what a song is saying through the way that I move. Not just listening to music, I hear the music and turn around and I express and interpret in my way what I am listening to. I tell the story of the song the way I understand it and I listen to the parts of the song that I want to interpret.

In your opinion, what makes a great stepper?

NATURAL ABILITY

I will answer by talking about what I feel made me a great stepper. What has made me a great stepper is that not only fundamentally do I know this dance, I have a natural ability to be a showstopper and entertain while I dance. Not only can I stand in one spot and showcase my dance, but when I take my dance to the stage, I can showcase all the way around that floor.

SHOWMANSHIP

What has made me a great dancer is that for those that are way across the room that can’t see my feet I will put on a show without you them even having to see my feet. That’s another thing that has made me a great dancer. Also, I am not one-dimensional. I am able to tailor my dance to different tempos of music. You are not going to get the same dance out of me song after song. In each song, you will see something a little different. I have my signature moves and signature things that I do but that dance is not going to be the same song after song. 

BEING DIFFERENT

I have become a great dancer because I can trio, do Original Style, do New School, and become somewhat of a walker. The style of walking people have seen me and Nikee do is a bit unorthodox. Nikee and I always dared to be different. That’s just a part of my personality and had a fearless and dare-to-be-different partner in Nikee. That’s what made him a great partner for walking. Although we knew the criticism would come from some, we still chose to dance unapologetically. We were not trying to seek anyone’s approval. If you like my style of dance, you like it, and if you don’t, you don’t. I stand firm on who I am as a dancer, and I am not changing the way I choose to express myself on the dance floor for anybody. 

You have broken some barriers from women in Stepping, especially in contests. What was driving and motivating you?

I never set out to do anything on behalf of other women. If doing me inspired other women to step outside of their own box or the box that people have tried to put them in, then I am humbled. All I was ever trying to do is be authentically me and express myself the way I felt like I wanted to express myself on that dance floor – whether people thought highly of it or not, whether it was acceptable or not. People have told me many times that when they see me dance they ask themselves, “Who is that? I want to dance like that.” I am humbled when people tell me that. All I was ever trying to do is be me, do me and have fun. Without freedom of expression, I know I would have given up Stepping and have no longevity in this dance.

I started creating my style because I was bored. Dancing at a party for four hours doing the same thing over and over with every guy I dance with is not enjoyable for me. I am a fundamentally sound dancer and can’t see dancing without having fun, being creative, or playing with the music. I was dancing for dear life because my passion for dancing would have died without my freedom of expression, and I envied all the fun that I saw the guys having.

WIthout the showmanship, creativity, style, and pizazz, I would not be a stepper for 23 years, simply following. When people come to me for instruction I help them to find their way. I help women to find their freedom of expression. I share Tori’s techniques when I teach. When I can unlock somebody and help a woman free herself in this dance, I enjoy it and find great pleasure in it all. That’s why I enjoy teaching so much. 

You didn’t set out with a plan and sometimes you walk into your destiny and end up feeling responsible. Do you feel a sense of responsibility in Stepping, and if so, what is it? 

Definitely, I do feel a sense of responsibility. I didn’t set out to do any of what I have done or to become who I am or to accomplish what I’ve accomplished. I didn’t set out to be a competitor. It just disturbed me that as a little as a bopper I could not dance with a stepper. I wanted to know how can I learn this dance. Now, I feel that sense of responsibility to help women to live their best life on this dance floor. I realized that my style might not be for everybody. For those that would like to work with me and receive instruction from me, I feel like that is the responsibility that I have to help women live their best life on the dance floor.

It brings me no greater pleasure than to see the light bulb go off when I show someone a technique or how to accomplish something on the dance floor. It brings such a smile to my face when they’re like oh that’s how you do that. I try not to step on anybody’s toes as far as other instructors, so I don’t go around tapping people saying hey, you need to come work with me. That’s not my style. Certainly, if someone comes to me that’s when I feel like it’s definitely my responsibility to show them how to live their best life on the dancefloor. 

What does Tori have left to accomplish in Chicago Stepping? 

After 23 years after and all of these wins, of course, the cherry on top would have to be a Master’s crown. I would love to do an all-female trio, and I want to become a better walker. I think I have mastered every other part of the dance, but I would definitely like to master the art of walking. Those are three things that I feel I have left to accomplish.

What is next for Tori? 

The next thing for me is to continue building my brand – The Footwork Factory. I have a ton of things that are coming to fruition. Stayed tuned for the capture of my documentary, The Untold Story of Tori. 

Tori Honors and Celebrates the Legends

As I grew in this dance, I had no idea who the legends were. I had no knowledge of the women who were legends as I was developing because they didn’t come out anymore. I had no idea of women like Celeste. Damita Collins, Jaanice Robertson, Dimples, and Lady Taboo. because I never saw them or heard of them. After 2009, the first to approach me about my dance was Jaanice Robertson. The next to compliment me was Dimples who has become like my play mom in this dance. In 2011, Damita Collins embraced me in this dance. All of these legends told me that they saw something in me that they saw in themselves, and I felt honored that they even embraced me.

Legends that Live On in Spirit and Dance

At this particular point in time, when I dance I have Damita Collins and Jaanice Robertson in my heart. These two legends have passed away now. To get recognition from some of the coldest women in this dance means a lot to me. It is an honor because I had no idea that their style of dance existed. When I saw Lady Taboo dance for the first time, I was blown away. I pay homage to them, but Lady Taboo will tell me, “No. I’m paying homage to you too. I love your dance.”

Definitely, I would like to thank my dance partners because I could not be what I am on that dance floor without them. I would like to thank Darrin for our years together and for Nikee for creating the Nikee and Tori Experience. I would like to thank Kevin Dockery my fellow footwork showman and thank Royce Banks for dancing with me when no one else would. To my two female trio partners – Kathy Fussell and Paris White – and my male trio partner, Jerry Harris that hoisted trophies with me – thank you. I could not be who I am without them. 

• Facebook: The Footwork Factory 
• YouTube: Footwork Factory – Nikee & Tori 
• YouTube: After “The Nikee & Tori Experience” Footwork Factory – Tori

CELEBRATING MYS TORI TANNETTE, A CONTEST TRAILBLAZER AND CHAMPION OF THE DANCE FLOOR.

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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