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On a weekend in Chicago, I can step more than I do on a steppers’ event weekend in other cities. Going from Friday at the East of the Ryan, Saturday at the 50 Yard Line, and Sunday at Hero’s is usually my plan for a phenomenal weekend of steppin’ Chicago style. In any of these places in Chicago, it is not unusual to see or share the dance floor with many of the steppers who have competed on stage at the World’s Largest Steppers’ Contest (WLSC) over the years – the masters, the heavy hitters, and the stars.

It was early for me to be out and ready to step, but I needed to catch a flight soon. One night in Hero’s, when no one else was on the dance floor, I danced with one of my favorite steppers from Chicago whose name I don’t know. He is one of my favorites because when we have space and the right songs, I “dance” differently in a more elevated, powerful way. And, so it was on this particular night. I was beaming inside and out, and other steppers lounging were watching. A young couple of WLSC stars joined us on the dance floor.

What was peculiar is that the couple started steppin’ in the same corner with my partner and me, leaving the rest of the empty dance floor wide open and abandoned. Remember the scene in Save the Last Dance when Nikki said to her friend, “Watch me squash this bitch?” As we danced, we closed in on each other. After some turns, spins, and footwork, we were impeding each other’s lanes. We kept on steppin’ and I could only think of this as a test in the moment to see if my partner and I would move to make room or stand our ground.

Eventually, we collided back to back as my shoulder connected with the other woman’s and she shrieked. I looked behind me, apologized over my shoulder, but never stopped dancing in my lane. My partner and I were now on our fifth song and at the end of it, he ended our dance. I enjoyed the euphoria of that moment and our five songs.

It was not a contest on stage, but I felt like a winner. I smiled inside because I was not moved. No matter the city, I resolve – it is important to be seen where someone does not want to see me or where other steppers bully or move others off the dance floor. There is room for every stepper even on the most crowded dance floor. As my mother would say “Me a smaddy pickney too.” I have been back to Hero’s countless times. I believe every person deserves his or her moment on the dance floor. To keep your spotlight and have your time to shine, stand your ground. And to that couple, “Don’t see me coming, I am here.”

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