<---2/12/2010 Issue            Quick Article Navigation            2/14/2010 Issue--->

[2/13/2010 SteppersUSA Daily News]
Choosing A Date
By Markie Bee
Send The Best Stepping Photos: BestPhotos@steppersusa.com
To send a plugger or Flyer Click Here
Contact Markie Bee: webmaster@steppersusa.com
Today's Steppers Beat column is sponsored by: WORD OF MOUTH ENTERTAINMENT, LLC. THE QUAD CITY STEPAGANZA Memorial Day Weekend 3rd Annual Fashion Show and Benefit May 27-31st, 2010
About three weeks ago, I sent an email to the Chicago style stepping Facebook group commemorating the passage of our 3,000 member milestone (Almost 3400 now). In that same message, I also suggested it was time we started organizing and start to plan some get-togethers of our national Chicago style stepping family.
Of course I don't like doing things on a small scale so I knew I would need help so I asked the members of that group that wanted to volunteer to help in their particular part of the country to drop me an email. I got so many emails, I decided the best thing to do was to schedule a conference call in a couple of weeks so we can create some direction in the endeavor.
 

 

More Below

Continued


I learned a few things in setting up a conference call. The first thing I learned a couple of weeks before the call is you can't use a "Magic Jack" to connect to a conference call. I bought one of those things because I need a working phone by my computer and since I live in the basement apartment my cell phone doesn't work very well. Lesson one use the cell phone upstairs!
Lesson two… in a conference call try to do as much listening as possible. We had people from East and West Coasts, as far South as Florida, and as far North as Detroit. Some people came in just to listen and others had plenty of questions.
Lesson three… a conference call is sort of like talking to each other in the club (without the loud music) many people try to talk, but you can only focus on one persons voice at one time (especially if you have a crappy phone like I do).
We did manage to accomplish a lot in the call. Some of the people there did volunteer to become the local representatives in their respective cities. These people will be the go-to people in each city and we will be communicating with each other to put together the "National Chicago Style Steppers Day" events.
Here's what we are going to do. Once we decide on a date (more on that below) the event can start with a steppers party in cities on the East Coast at 8pm for instance. When it reaches 8pm in the Midwest steppers parties start in cities in that part of the country and the same thing would continue through the Mountain and Pacific Time zones.
It's a great excuse to party and step and showing some national unity as one big Chicago style steppers family.
I have some other ideas for the day but I'll reserve them for meetings with the people who volunteered to work on this before bringing it to the masses. One thing we did discuss was integrating the celebration with any steppers organization that was having an event on the day chosen for the event (especially since the "National Chicago Style Steppers Day" event is for ALL steppers who want to celebrate our dance).
We also discussed involving every other Facebook steppers group in this national effort… So consider this as a written invitation to every steppers group on Facebook and those who are not on Facebook to join us in this celebration to bring everyone together in the love of the dance we all have in common.
Choosing a date isn't going to be easy so I looked hard at the perpetual events calendar on SteppersUSA and narrowed the dates to a window in time that runs from mid June to mid August. Originally I wanted to post a poll directly in the Chicago style stepping Facebook groups pages until I found the existing poll applications don't work in group's pages.
I also realize some people can't or won't upgrade to the latest version of web browser (those are the people who can't normally get into SteppersUSA.Com) so I had to create a work around for that single page. I tested it in all major browsers and it seems to work in all of them as long as I keep the page bare bones.
I'm asking everyone to decide from nine dates which date they want to become "National Chicago Style Steppers Day". The initial poll will go for two weeks. IF there is a tie, we will immediately run another poll with the finalist dates. That poll will run for one week. Here is a link to the poll.
Also if you would like to be the representative in your city (in some larger communities we need more than one) please post something to that effect on the wall of the Chicago style stepping Facebook group (if there is already a representative in your city I will have them contact you so you can work together). If you're not on Facebook and still want to contribute to the effort just send me an email via the contact page on SteppersUSA.Com.
 

If you can click the ads under this logo you can make money too!
Try It!

https://joini5.com/steppersusa

 

---

 
Have something on your mind? Need to talk to Markie Bee? With Google voice (A REAL phone number) you can call me directly (from the United States only please) For FREE. If I'm available, I'll call you right back.

If you would like to join SteppersUSA in Twitter or just to check it out, you'll see the twitter bird just below our logo. Just click on the twitter bird and it will bring you right to the SteppersUSA page on Twitter.  Watch the bar or follow SteppersUSA by clicking here.

How To Add a Comment on the Bar Tutorial
 

 Tags

Choosing A Date   

Steppers History

If you or anyone you know has any photos, footage or information about or from any Steppers contests for the History of Stepping Project, I'd love to add it to what we have. It's Your History! OR If you have a personal recollection concerning stepping or if you care to help with the  in any manner, please Send us an email.

Steppers Community Definition Added
Cross Reference Word Index Added
Multiple Definitions Added Definitions Page
2006 3-G's Contest results added Timeline Updated
Steppers Compete 2003 Timeline Updated
The Dungeon in Chicago in the 1970's See the Personal Recollections Page

Steppers Special Events Details

4Bidden Fruit
The Steppers Zone
Valentine Weekend Jam
VFW Post 1293
1550 Grand Ave. Waukegan, IL
9pm - 1:30am
$5 Before 10pm $7 After
847-445-6112

Steppers Set
Gloria's Garden
15320 Broadway Harvey, IL
8:30pm - 2am
$5 Cover
mzshawn@sprint.blackberry.net

6th Annual Red and White Ball
Common Ground
Allison Union Hall
2320 S. Tibbs, Indianapolis, IN
8pm - until
Tickets $10 Advance $15
Dress To Impress
317-627-2580

2010 Valentine's Steppers Extravaganza
Holy Angels Church - Walden Hall
2822 Dr M L King Drive, Indianapolis, IN
7pm - Midnight
Tickets $30 per person $50 per couple
Door $37 per person $57 per person
317-926-3324

6th Annual Red and White Ball
Common Ground
Allison Union Hall
2320 S. Tibbs, Indianapolis, IN
8pm - until
Tickets $10 Door $15
Dress To Impress
317-627-2580

AVM Entertainment
Sister Sister Social Club
1200 E. 79th St. Chicago, IL
9pm - 3am
Tickets $12 Door $15
Dress to Impress
773-640-2868

Fun Bunch Valentine Party
St. Benedict The African
6550 S. Harvard, Chicago, IL
8pm - 1am
$10 Tickets $15 Door
BYOB/No Coolers
773-259-6863

Ishmuan Productions
Stage Play "Step Into The Light"
House of Hope
752 E. 114th St., Chicago, IL
Doors open @ 5pm
$25 Blc; $35 Mid; $45 MF
ishmuan7@yahoo.com www.ishmuanproductions.com 

South West Productions Pre-Valentine's Party
Mariella's Banquet Hall
124 S. 5th Ave., Maywood, IL
7pm - 2am
$5 Club Members; $10 Ticket $15 Door
Steppin in Red & White
773-848-8667

Rock City Unique Steppers 4th Annual Achievers Ball
Radisson Hotel & Conference Center
200 S. Bell School Rd., Rockford, IL
6pm - 1am
$20 Ticket $50 couple package
815-209-4667 www.rockcityuniquesteppers.com 

After 7 Productions
The Dorchester
1515 E. 154th St., Dolton, IL
8pm - Until
$10 Tickets $15 Door
Steppin in Red - NO Jeans Please
312-909-0307

Sisters United Chapter #011
Gloria's Garden
15320 Broadway, Harvey, IL
8:30pm - 2am
$5 Door
708-491-6764

South West Productions Pre-Valentine's Party
Mariella's Banquet Hall
124 S. 5th Ave., Maywood, IL
7pm - 2am
$5 Club Members; $10 Tickets $15 Door
Steppin in Red & White
773-848-8667

Come Step With Us
Gabe's
991 Lexington Ave., Saint Paul, MN
8:30pm - 2am
612-685-3831 www.ilovetostep.com

Sickle Cell Foundation Valentine Ball
Roma Lodge
7130 Spring St., Racine, WI
6:30pm - 12am
$25 Door
262-909-5135

Mind Body & Soul 6th Annual Valentine's Day Love Dance
Garden Lake Hall
5359 Dorr St. Toledo, OH
8pm - 1am
$20 Ticket
BYOB
419-944-4269 www.mindbodyandsoul.info

Phillip R. Bells & the Oakland Black Firefighter Assoc Valentine's Party
Oakland Marriott
1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA
8pm - 2am
$35 Tickets $40 Door (RSVP)
510-435-2118

Southern Nevada Black Nurses Assn.
Men Stepping to Release Stress
Pearson Community Center
1625 W. Carey Ave. North Las Vegas, NV 89032
9am - 8pm
$10 Donation
888-710-4836

Steppers Brunch
Brooklyn Knights
279 Dekalb Ave., Brooklyn, NY
3pm - 7pm
Free
shadowflack@gmail.com

STArt Steppin' Midday Steppers Set
The Jazz Bar
South Dekalb Mall, 2081 Candler Road, Decatur, GA
5pm - 9pm
$5 Cover
404-759-8133

World Steppers 3rd Year Anniversary
The Ambiance Lounge
5580 Memorial Dr., Stone Mountain, GA
7pm - Until
Free
Steppin in Red & Cream
770-845-8312

Smooth Steppers of Memphis (2nd and 4th Saturday)
Ron's Place
1242 Florida St, Memphis, TN
8:00p.m - 1:00a.m
$10.00 Door
BYOB
901-581-3483/ 901-582-3482 www.memphissteppin.com

2nd Annual Valentine Sweetheart Dance
Silky Smooth Dance Studio
13678 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Woodbridge, VA
9pm - 1am
$30 Tickets $35 Door
Attire: Red, Pink, Black, White
703-217-8992 www.silkysmoothdance.com

Terms of Service and Privacy