Sharing My Contest Perspective as a 2024 WLSC Judge

I was honored to be selected as a New Skool judge for the 2024 World’s Largest Steppers Competition – WLSC. Thank you Pete Frazier and to the Majestic Gents for this opportunity. I did not take this responsibility lightly. As a New Skool judge, I scored performances for not only New Skool, but also for the Beginners and Trios categories. I am not about to divulge any specifics about how I scored anyone at the WLSC. I have already been asked more than once about how to see contestant scores. Contestants, please contact Pete Frazier directly to ask any questions about scores for your performance.

I have judged before in speech competitions, but this was my first time judging a Chicago Stepping contest. I enjoyed being a judge and would do it again in a heartbeat. Walking away from this contest judge experience, I have three key pieces of advice for all WLSC contestants – including myself. Some of this might be stating the obvious, but every contestant should keep these in mind if they want to compete AND win in the WLSC.

1. Plan for the Unexpected

Anything can happen. Over several contests, I have seen shoelaces and strings come undone, heard audio/music glitches, and now even lights go out. Don’t stop dancing until your performance is over unless it is putting you or someone else on stage in jeopardy. Keep on dancing if it is safe to do so. In 2024, we saw some of the unexpected and saw how some contestants made fixing a situation a part of the performance. Some things are out of a contestant’s control but there are things you can do to help yourself. Limit the risk of something unexpected by managing the things that are in your control.

Make wise decisions about your outfits and accessories on stage. I still see men wear hats on stage that men have to adjust or stop from falling off while dancing. Why? Women wear dresses that ride up and they have to keep pulling them down and then their hand is out of their partner’s reach. Why? There is so much out of a contestant’s control. Stay on top of what you can control. Contest-proof your outfit. Dance in your outfit with your partner before the day of the contest and find out if anything impedes the flow or lead. Are accessories or dangling jewelry getting in the way? Check in with the DJ on your music during soundcheck on the day of the contest. Royce Banks came in and kindly announced that suggestion to all the contestants and everyone jumped at the opportunity to go see the DJ. Dance on the dancefloor before the contest in the shoes you plan to wear in the contest.

2. Dance to Every Song

I witnessed several times how some contestants come on stage and go through the motions of stepping until their song is played. Not performing. They are waiting for their song. Or, if their selected song plays first, their performance plateaus when the song ends. You better “dance” to all the music if you want to win in World’s Largest. At this level of competition, you must be able to dance to a song you have not rehearsed or practiced to.

At the heart of the art of Stepping is improvisation. It’s a skillset tested and baked into this contest every time by the fact that for most categories you don’t know all the songs you will dance to with another couple on stage. In most of the performances I enjoy and those that do place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, it’s not easy to tell which song a contestant picked for their performance. These couples perform for the entire time they are on stage. Out the gate, DANCE, from start to finish.

3. Dress to Be Seen and Be Unforgettable

As a contestant you want to distract the judges and audience from looking at anyone else on stage but you. If you plan on competing, look at the outfits from WLSC 2024 and plan from there. Take note of the color choices, the materials, and the glam. I heard more than once, “Wow! That dress is beautiful. I can’t take my eyes off her. I don’t want to look at anyone else.” If you checked out the interview with Kevin Dockery on Inside Steppin’ he talked about the collaboration between him and his partner to create and design their outfits. He provided some nuggets of wisdom. And, when the contest is over, if your outfit is all the talk on social media even if you didn’t win, you did a great job picking your outfit. He also offered some great advice on what practice should be about.

I am already looking forward to WLSC 2025 and the Masters category for next year. The WLSC 2024 performances were a beautiful view for me the entire night from the judge’s table. Thank you for the entertainment and first-fime show from the eyes of a WLSC judge. Congratulations to the winners.

WLSC 2024 Winners

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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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