Ericka Jones’ journey began in her grandmother’s basement on the Westside of Chicago. Coming from a dancing family, they always got together and played music and danced.
“My aunts and uncles taught us all the latest dances. They taught us how to step so I kind of grew up in the dance.”
Ericka lived in Atlanta as a teenager and then moved back to Milwaukee. When she was out with her sister and saw folks out stepping at Garfield’s 502 after a class, she was intrigued. Although what she saw did not look like the Stepping she knew, the atmosphere and watching attracted her to the dance. Ericka started going to class at 502 with the group MSBU. When she saw flyers for the World’s Largest at the time – 2007 – she wanted to compete before she event learned her basic. Lisa Smith McCants, with MSBU, is the one who taught Ericka her 8-count. She entered the World’s Largest in September 2008 in the beginner’s category. She placed second in 2011 in the Out of Towner category. This is only the beginning of Ericka’s story. In our interview, she opens up about the different chapters of her Chicago Stepping journey—from loss and relocation to partnership, perseverance, and winning on some of the biggest contest stages.
Competing in Steppers Contests
Stepping as Her Therapy
Success and Achievement as a Stepper
Community Culture and Respect
Stepping is a culture. Stepping is a lifestyle. It’s our history. It’s something that was created by us, for us, and when I just think about watching my Mom, my uncles and aunts, and then them teaching us when we were little… there is so much culture and love in it … and fun. It has a whole lot of meaning for me beyond competition. If they never had contests I’d still love to step, because I just love to dance. – Ericka