I hear so many people say, "let's keep (get the dance back to) the way it was." Not to mince my words or fence sit in any way, I partially agree with that emotion.

When a dance is choreographed (even informally) and set to a particular pattern perhaps there should be some gate keepers. People who hold true to the original dance as it were when it first morphed from the bop into what they called stepping.

It's definitely different from anything 99.9% of the instructors are teaching today as I've been told. It was a "couple's dance" (starting dancing with male with male) as I've been told but I have also been told what I described was what was called freestyle (starting with the tag being introduced at the WLSC and still is by many).

It's a long stretch from the bop as done in Chicago but nonetheless people say that’s what stepping was and they want to bring the dance back. These dancers say there is so much misinformation out there about the dance, so many "bad instructors" out there that are turning the dance into a bunch of BS.

They don't like the counting systems, or the constant spins... they just can't tolerate them because that's not what the dance was. That's what I've been told. Somewhere in the vast expanse of time somebody from Chicago started to travel and they brought their knowledge of what they thought was the dance to other cities. That's what I've been told.

These people in need of a steppers fix started to teach other people how to dance this unique Chicago styled dance even though they may not have had a full enough knowledge of the dance. That's what I've been told. This happened in many cities starting in the Midwest and eventually spreading to cities like Atlanta, and Los Angeles. That's what I've been told.
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Some profit minded individuals around this time of expansionism saw some opportunities not only to make some money but to teach these people and possibly expand their knowledge of the dance (I would suppose).

Now I've been told it turns out many of these instructors who went out on the workshop circuit really didn't teach the dance (completely or correctly) and after many workshops the people stopped coming because they weren't learning anything. Apparently there were some good instructors who traveled the workshop circuit (at least that's the way it was explained to me).

In Chicago there were people who came to watch others step and they learned by watching and eventually got on the floor and started to dance. These individuals learned more of the dance as they continued to dance with the steppers of the day. These steppers of the day allowed someone to dance the dance and they told them to make the dance their own so these new dancers improvised... and they were told they were good dancers!

Now I don't know if they were taught with one of those 'dreaded counting methods' but these dancers started spinning their partners instead of giving them the occasional left or right turn. It did and continues to make some people mad because they say all that spinning isn't part of the dance (as they knew it) and they wonder where the footwork is.

Even back then they were saying they should take the dance back. Perhaps improvisation may actually be wrong... perhaps someone was wrong when they said make the dance your own. I guess the term owning the dance has a whole different meaning for each individual.

Perhaps the dance has an identity that can only be done "properly" by a select few people only in particular locations only in Chicago. Is it identity or insecurity? I don't know.

I do think people who step should learn how to DANCE. It really doesn't matter how they learn. It could be on the streets or it could be at the Fred Astaire studio but people should learn how to dance before they try to step. Quite possibly, that could be the thought behind the term you should learn how to walk before you learn how to step. I don't know!

There is nothing wrong with the classic steppers dance and it will always be as it should. In 2012 there are classic steppers and there are steppers who improvised and added their own flavor on top of the dance. It's been like that for over ten years now and although I'm sure you're not asking me... that door has been knocked off its hinges and smashed to bits. You can't lock the barn after the horses are already gone.

Nobody has to accept the fact... It just is. This is a modified and updated column from last year which was modified and updated from the year before. Notice how things change but stay the same?

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The Passing Of A Legend

Some thoughts on the passing of a queen.
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With today's loss of Donna Summer music lost yet another bright star. Her influence on the world of dance was large because not only did she appeal to the disco crowd but her musical influence ushered in a whole new way of dancing to the rest of the world changing it forever.

She had that crossover appeal many artists can only dream of having. Her version of the song "Love To Love You Baby" had a sensual sound to it that even the people who claimed to hate disco loved is a prime example of her appeal to more than the perceived niche she was associated with.

Long time DJ Steve Breeze Brewer said in a post in the Steppers Music Group; "May you R.I.P. she helped usher a new style of music that changed the dancing habits of the world. The great Donna Summer... As a DJ I will always remember playing that long sensuous track, "Love To Love You Baby." He's referring to the extended version of the song which ran 13 minutes long. (The link I'm pointing to has both the short and extended versions in it) I remember some slowed down remixes of the same song years ago. Continued and Comment

Making Charge Is Hard The Passing Of A Legend
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