Chicago stories of the Stepping dance community in the heart of the city itself. Meet people who are born in Chicago and live and step there, also from other steppers who moved from other cities to call Chicago home. Gain a different perspective on the dance to understand the vibe and culture of the Stepping community. Find out what Chicago is doing to keep the stepping culture relevant and growing. And, learn about the movements in Chicago that keep the proliferation of Stepping to other cities across the country alive.
Reading Time: 9 minutes When I met Rose Wellington at the 50 Yard Line a couple of years ago, she handed me a flyer inviting me to her steppers set. Every time I have seen her since then she’s…
Reading Time: 6 minutes When I first met Hollywood Frank he surprised me with a question. “Do you know who you were named after?” Not many people know who she is until I tell them but he already knew….
Reading Time: 5 minutes On the weekend videos, photos, memories, and comments on social media expressed condolences and recalled countless dance memories. One of the greatest steppers of all time passed away on December 26. Rest in Peace Stepping…
Reading Time: < 1 minute That’s the vibe we are rolling with… The Get Down: Holiday Edition. Back to it… December 5…. 4 pm….. WE – Dave Maxx and Black Cool – are providing FREE food… WE are providing the…
Reading Time: 15 minutes Once I started stepping, over the years I have heard a lot about skating as it relates to stepping. Skaters who step have ridiculous flow. People step and skate to a lot of the same…
Reading Time: 4 minutes Before the review of WLSC, here is what I was looking forward to at the 2021 World’s Largest Steppers Contest: New steppers that fell in love with Stepping during the pandemic Seasoned steppers reignited and…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Conversations with the older generation of steppers always keep me laughing and happy in this dance. Their stories keep me glued and curious about what was happening before, what is happening now, and what might…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Part 2: Questions with Q Interview After reading Qiana “Q” Wilson’s Facebook posts about judging for the World’s Largest Steppers Contest, it only made sense to get her perspective on the contest. This was a…
Reading Time: 4 minutes A couple of years ago, I saw Qiana “Q” Wilson dance with Andre Blackwell in Atlanta at his New Year’s weekend event and I said, “Whoa!” There are not many ladies on the Chicago stepping…
Reading Time: 6 minutes Summer is contest season for the Chicago Stepping community. July starts the prelims for our most popular contest, The World’s Largest Steppers Contest. August ends the preliminaries with the last last chance to qualify to…
Reading Time: 5 minutes On my first trip to Chicago, I heard about The Steppers 411 email. I’ve relied on it ever since to keep me connected to events in Chicago while hundreds of miles away in Virginia. I…
Reading Time: 7 minutes The more I go to Chicago, the more I want to learn about Original Old School Stepping. When I competed in the Old School category in 2019 World’s Largest, I hardly knew enough – if…
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago sets are coming back for the public as we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some states have started to lift the COVID-19 restrictions for public gatherings and nightly entertainment. Slowly…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Quick thoughts on dance safety. As of today, the last time I stepped with someone was Sunday, March 8 at Hero’s in Chicago. I want to faint just thinking about how long it’s been since…
Reading Time: 2 minutes I have never met Markie Bee in person but I have seen his work. On my first visit to Chicago, I saw Markie Bee but did not meet him personally. I have watched him in…
Reading Time: 5 minutes Who is DJ Sam Chatman? A lot of out of town steppers I have talked to do not know a lot about Sam Chatman. I believe the best way to celebrate DJ Sam Chatman’s birthday today, is to share what I know about him.
Reading Time: 3 minutes This week has been a really tough one in the steppin’ community in Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit especially. Two beautiful souls have transitioned to dance in another realm – Jannice and Ronda.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dione Barnes, my fellow Virginia stepper, talks about her trip to Chicago.