Setting the Record Straight!

By Tracey Bivens

Let’s be clear about one thing. Detroit is very proud of their accomplishments and contributions to the steppin arena. Since 1999, several members of this community have turned out over 300 plus devout ballroomers into steppers in less than a decade. As a city, we have come very far in recognizing past mistakes and mending old wounds. One thing that I can most assuredly promise you is that we will NOT allow our community of steppers to be divided over biased articles that seek to plow wedges in what we have worked hard to smooth over.

Drewry Alexander is our shining knight in steppin armor. He holds his place in the annals of dance history in Detroit and in the country. However, to say that Drew has “outpaced” other steppers in our city is far from accurate. The steppin community in Detroit boasts of many key individuals and organizations that have assisted Drew and the dance in becoming a reckoning force on a national level. In addition to Drew’s parents, Nora and Anthony, provided him with years of multi dance genres e.g. Tap, Jazz, Greystone, Ballroom, Latin Hustle, etc. other individuals have afforded him the opportunity to hone his skills under their watch and care.

Before there was a Drew, there was a Sherry Gordon, James Pacely, Kirk (DJ KP) Peterson, Tracey Bivens, Larry Collins, Kammal Smith, Buford “Mistalocks” Collins, Darrell Brown, Jamal Brown, and Flint’s Feo Duncan who put their mitts on Drew first and gave Drew his introduction to the dance. I can count on ONE hand how many times Drew has even been to Chicago outside of competing in the Worlds Largest.

While Detroit competed quite vigorously in 2005 in the Worlds Largest, we knew deep down inside that as a city we had a ways to go. That major loss was responsible for the onslaught of the Out of Towners category being created in the first place and the beginning of a rigorous campaign to gain the respect of the Chicago steppin community. It was that fortitude that made us all want to be better and make things better for Drew when he came onto the steppin scene.

I would be remissed if I did not recognize the contributions of Larry Thomas, Donnie Davis, Tyk Myn, Malik Swan, LC Henderson and Andre Blackwell for visiting Detroit as frequently as they did in those early days and exposing us to the various styles of steppin like they did. What they exposed us to…we exposed to others…including Drew. As a city, we will forever be grateful to them! But I think that a lot of people want to pretend that Drew learned his ENTIRE step dance in Chicago and that couldn’t be any further from the truth. It hurts when the insinuation is made that he has “outdone” or “surpassed” the rest of the Detroit steppers who have been making their own contributions to the dance.

The Steady Steppers co-founders, Larry Collins, 3^rd place 2011 WLSC Out of Towner winners Kammal Smith and instructor Daniella Borum, play host to one of the nation’s longest running steppin instructional organizations who has been recognized by nationally for its workshops, paraphanalia and galas in Detroit and Vegas for years. Sherry Gordon, 2008 Out of Town 1^st place winner, has personally put her hands on hundreds of newbies in Detroit. On a national level, she has supplied newbies with a sound foundation in steppin. Her coaching has assisted MANY men and women in developing their styles that have competed or just represented the dance. Pound for pound, Kirk Peterson and James Pacely have some of the baddest footwork and hand combinations in the Midwest. Mistalocks is the only steppin entrepreneur who runs and operates his OWN dance studio in Ferndale, Michigan which boasts of having the largest studio dance floor in the industry. Jeff Clark of I Love Steppin, gained national recognition for his contributions with his photos and steppin paraphanalia. While I have shied away from teaching and the promotional end over the years, I choose to write about the accomplishments and triumphs of up and coming steppers all over the country. And where was Drew in all of this? He was standing by watching it all unfold and taking notes.

I guess at the end of the day, I propose that contest wins do not make the stepper…the community that surrounds him does. Detroit is not going to allow Drew to be pumped up full of insincere hype only to be torn down when someone “else” comes around. It took a village to help Drew along the way and it will be that same village that continues to love Drew when the “new flavor” has entered into the arena to try and take his throne.

By the way…stay tuned for big things coming from Darryl “Flex”, TJ, Bonita Glover, Sophia Hooper, Darryl Williams…all hailing from the D thank you very much!

The Steady Steppers are Lucky!

By Tracey Bivens

As the east coast prepares to batten down the hatches as Hurricane Irene prepares to make her debut, a similar storm came to Lucky’s Bar and Grill in Redford, MI last night and The Steady Steppers franchise is to blame.

Lucky’s Bar and Grill played host to the “Fresh Look Fridays” debut steppers set complete with guests from Flint, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Toledo, and of course…Detroit. Hosted by The Steady Steppers, over 125 people came out to support the group as DJ K-Mix and WGPR 107.5 FM helped to make the event come to life. This FREE event is ongoing each and every Friday.

It seemed as if hundreds of chicken wing baskets and an assortment of nonalcoholic drink specials were ordered as onlookers had the chance to sit at tables that gave them the dimly lit ambience that goes along with many steppers sets. This venue is similar in structure to Chicago’s famed 3G’s Friday night spot.

During the course of the evening, all of the Steady Steppers members took the time to walk around, greet and dance with their guests from 6:00pm-10:0pm. Secured parking was provided with a van escort as the lot quickly filled up with steppers and curious guests who had never been to Lucky’s.

Says CEO and co-founder Larry Collins, “This event follows The Detroit Steppers Network’s attempt to educate and entertain our community with this dance. Since 2003, the Steady Steppers has always made it a point to offer this city and its surrounding areas a quality venue, an opportunity to network and the occasion to get their step on.”

Guests included The Big Hat Gentleman’s Frank Westley, Versatile Productions’ Harvey Dobbs, SL&G, The Next Level, the Flint Ballroomers, Steppin E, I Love Steppin’s Jeff Clark, M.O.E Steppin’s James Pacely, Party People Productions’ Deborah Dixon, “The Steppers Hostess with the Hostess” Rose McDaniel, “Steppin in the Moonlight” R&B singer, Beverly Walker and the ladies and gentlemen who made the event possible…the steppers.

Congratulations go out to the Steady Steppers as they help to keep the steppin momentum moving in Detroit!

Detroit Does National Chicago Style Steppers Day the Copacetic Way!

By Tracey Bivens

Detroit can be added to the list of cities that illustrated their love for steppin on Saturday. The Copacetic Steppers held their 6^th annual picnic at the Pavilion on Belle Isle which coincided with National Chicago Style Steppers Day.

Over one hundred people from the Detroit Metropolitan area came out to participate in a raffle for a 32’ inch flat screen television, to purchase commemorative “National Chicago Style Steppers Day” t-shirts, consume food, play card games and engage in plenty of steppin. DJs Steppin E (Emile) and DJ Paul Ross “The Boss”, both tagged teamed the turntables, clearly well rested from their performance last week at Project 300 gala which was considered a precursor for The Copacetic Steppers picnic.

One thing that I joked about with the people that I was sitting with was the fact that CEO and founder of the group, Brock Powers, and company were clearly trying to feed people to death. As soon as you walked in you had your choice of potato chips and hot dogs, then an hour later it went to chilled watermelon slices, after that, servings of fried tilapia and catfish and THEN the main course of barbecue ribs and chicken, spaghetti, vegetables, desserts and then they wanted everyone to take home plates. Did I mention that all this great food was free?

The Copacetic Steppers do an excellent job of making sure their guests feel welcome and appreciated as members Lisa and Rosalyn went around greeting patrons and making sure their needs were met. “DetroitMovement” and the son of famed Detroit mayor, Senator Coleman A. Young Jr. were also at the picnic trying to garner support for community based projects and possibly greeting future constituents? Hmmm...

Eventually, the unpredictable skies of Detroit tried to drench the parade but the Copacetic Steppers got the last laugh because by that time…the picnic was over.

Says Powers, “Each year, The Copacetic Steppers give back to the community on this day anyway. It was a good thing that it happened to coincide with National Chicago Style Steppers Day because it helps us to educate ourselves, our students, and our community about the importance of celebrating stepping and giving back.” 

A Reflection : Project 300 Arrives!

By Tracey Bivens
It started out as a conversation on the phone over a year ago between Sherry Gordon and myself about building the steppin community. It’s a conversation that I’m sure many women and MEN have had in various communities around the country but we took our conversation to the table and put it into a plan of action. I remember last August, we had the idea and it was time to present it to the community of established steppers that we already had because we knew we were going to need help. Thus, The Detroit Steppers Network was born. People showed up to the initial meeting not knowing what to expect but they came and it was on and poppin’ after that. It was an arduous task…these last 11 months…of meeting after meeting, instructors ‘session after session, outing after outing along with the fundraisers but The Detroit Steppers Network persevered. Of course you have varying levels of participation but that’s with everything and it didn’t matter because people stepped up to the plate. Speaking for myself, I wanted to see the instructors come together, the general steppin community come together, the DJs coming together and more importantly…I wanted everybody working as “one band…one sound!” (Laughter) and we did.

The August 6 workshop was exactly what it was supposed to be. Men and women came out that we had never seen before and took an interest in our dance. They stayed for three hours and enjoyed themselves through the beginners, intermediate and walkers levels of workshops that were offered. Supporters also attended such as Dave Maxx aka “The Dance Doctor” and his friends from Chicago and Gary, Indiana as well as Toledo, Cleveland, Lansing, Cincinnati, and Flint. I think many would say that seeing the 6 count instructors and 8 count instructors teaching and counting the same way was the highlight of the day.
The gala which took place later that night had a LOT of NEW people in attendance that were not at the workshop but came out to see what all of the fuss had been about in regards to Project 300. I think having DJ Rodney Mack, DJ K-Mix, DJ Paul Ross “The Boss” and Steppin E “Emile” offered guests what they were looking for as all four of these DJs actually have different playing styles but they are all steppin DJs. The Detroit Steppers Network worked tirelessly on the door, preparing food, walking around greeting people and making sure everyone had dances. Who could ask for more? Hiccups are inevitable but not made to be memorable. I Love Steppin’s Jeff Clark has his camera in tow along with Deborah “Partypeople” Dixon’s videos and will be posting pictures for all to see on their respective website and Facebook pages. There was even an impromptu after party being given to accommodate the out of towners who wanted to party beyond 2:00am hosted by Lynne “Ms. Cheesecake” Batten at a nearby club.
EVERYBODY in the DSN and the steppin citizens of Detroit deserved praise for their hard work and efforts in making this event a successful one but I want to personally thank Jackie “Shortcake” Jones and Karen Ware for following the instructional team around the city passing out fliers, taking pictures, having conversations with strangers and going above and beyond what was expected of them. I would also like to acknowledge Steppersusa.com’s, Markie Bee and Dave Maxx for their constant encouragement during this entire process by giving the national steppin community exposure to what Detroit was involved with.
And now the question that is on everybody’s mind. Did the numbers in attendance match 300? Well…let me answer the question this way. One thousand workshop fliers were created and distributed along with personal conversations about how steppin is a great dance for entertainment and cardio. People in Detroit were exposed to steppin in places where steppers don’t normally go for the last ten months. Hundreds of Detroiters were added to the various steppin Facebook pages that we have in existence right now. A cable network is now contemplating giving the steppers a onetime shot at a dance show exhibiting steppin and the Detroit Steppers Network has been invited to perform at the African World Festival which is Detroit’s largest ethnic festival with an expected 80,000 attendees every year. So my answer is yes…Project 300 met its goal and will continue to be a success!

If I Could…I Would

By Tracey Bivens

Someone asked me the other day if I was surprised that not many couples were vying to get into the World’s Largest Steppin Contest this year. I said not at all. That same person asked me if I thought the reason had anything to do with fairness in the contest. Well, after Detroit’s Drew Alexander dominated several categories along with Detroit’s Darrell and Angie, I couldn’t agree with that once popular notion. The person continued to prod and asked me if I thought it had anything to do with Tyk, Dre, Westside Mike, Charnice, Tina (yes, I added the women’s names because men alone do not win a contest) and others not getting into the contest. I said no because what do these one time or multiple contest winners have to prove? Didn’t Dre’ win the Masters Category with Shareda last year? That’s a top shelf win…or so I thought.  After showing signs of being exasperated the person finally said, “Well Tracey…what do you think the problem is?”  I gave another theory that a lot of people don’t seem to be focusing on.

The economy. I know 97 people...PERSONALLY…that have been laid off from their jobs in Michigan in the last six months. I’m sure Michigan is not the only state that has this problem. For those of you who don’t know what “being laid off” means it means if you once got paid $10.00 a week, unemployment will give you about $4.00 a week to live off of. Laid off in the sense that money does not allow for people to have a disposable income that in this discussion would be applicable to buying clothes for contests, paying for transportation to the contest, going to the city to try out for the contest category, etc. The economy is showing no signs of improving anytime soon because the “debt ceiling” is so low…President Obama is breaking his back trying to hold it up. Has anyone considered that that reason alone may be the reason SOME people are not breaking their necks to get into the contest?

The World’s Largest has provided approximately two decades of entertainment, education, excitement, controversies and money making opportunities for all parties involved. There is no other contest that can boast of the numbers that this contest has drawn to it but it shocks me to hear insinuations that people are scared or that instructors aren’t encouraging their students to participate. I understand that investors are in over their heads with this contest but reality is reality. How far do we want to go with the jabs in order to be entertained?

I wonder if there is a former/perspective WLSC contestant that is hearing these conversations that sound accusatory in nature and spirit about people not stepping up to the “contest plate.” I wonder if that person is trying to guess how long their unemployment benefits are going to last or if they are thinking about being forced to move in with a relative to make ends meet versus what new moves they were going to do in the contest. If the desire to enter the contest is there but the means of meeting those desires aren’t…then what?

Cheers to You!

By Tracey Bivens

I have and always will be an advocate for the local and national steppin community. Over the last five years, I have written interviews and commentaries on the steppers themselves, the DJs and the promoters but today is different. I want to focus on the people behind the scenes that very seldom get their props publicly or recognized for their work and the perceptions that they help others to form about all things steppin.

Terrance Pratt

CEO of Chistepper.com was very instrumental in providing steppers with a forum to voice their opinions about issues and about steppin related issues. With the onslaught of online communiqués, he provided class reviews, pictures, Chistepper vault videos on You Tube, covered local and national parties and provided freelance writers like myself the opportunity to contribute interviews and commentaries to give out of towners a voice in the steppin community.

Markie Bee

The CEO of Steppers USA.com is better known as the man with camera and the “hat”. I would guess that over the last 5-7 years, Markie Bee has taken over 500,000 pictures of Chicagoans and out of town steppers in and out of action on the dance floor. An astute sound technician from his early days in radio and television, Markie Bee has produced steppin videos and writes daily commentaries. He is a big advocate of trying to present steppin in a nationally respected and corporate sponsored arena, doing all that he can to make his creation, “National Steppers Day” an annual ritual across America.

Tonya Harris

She is the CEO of Harris Pro Designs.com and is the woman behind the I Love Steppin.com, Chistepper.com, Steady Steppers Dance-Institute.com, and the Good Deeds International.com  websites. This consummate professional, has helped to create professional, informative and creative websites to help boost the notoriety of events and organizations for over five years now. Through her websites, Tonya has helped to form public opinions about these organizations and has definitely provided another outlet for information to be disseminated in the steppin community.

Lamont Watts

He is the CFO of ClubSteppin.com. I had the opportunity to meet Lamont Watts this year at the Heritage Ball 2011 but I’ve been listening to him for a minute on ClubSteppin.com. His daily broadcast of steppin music, interviews and commercials have also give the steppin community national exposure on a musical note as well. He has given Tyk Myn, Mykel “MrMakeUDanceandSing” Farr, Sam Chatman, DJ Cross and DJ Cynsitivity a voice by providing them with shows of their own that are heard on a daily basis.

Cynthia Bean

Being the CEO of What’s the 411? www.thesteppersinternetconnection.com, has allowed Cynthia to provide views, commentaries and play music about local steppin happenings in the Chicago area. She can also be heard on 89.3 FM WKKC’S and is known as the Steppers’ Queen. Having been credited as one of the strongest female hosts at many steppers sets, Cynthia is definitely the woman who knows how to get the word out and how to get the party started.

Ken Bedford

A respected photojournalist for ABC TV 7 in Chicago for over 35 years, Ken Bedford has been providing footage of main events at steppin parties all over the nation as well as producing videos and informational packages for steppin organizations. In addition, Ken Bedford throws first class parties in Chicago that plays host to a steady flow of heavy hitters and celebrities from the R&B, Hip Hop, and film industries. Check out his videos on You Tube.

My brothers and sisters who are behind the scenes, I take this opportunity to salute you for your endless hours of work, unappreciated efforts at times and your willingness to take on this labor of love on a daily basis. Cheers!

If I Could Change This World Part 2

By Tracey Bivens

Here’s my second attempt at trying to provide your thoughts and your complaints and compliments about the steppin’ world in an effort to affect change. Today, I will focus on the men’s concerns and comments. Let’s be sure to process this information before we pass judgment.

5 Things Men Love:

1. Women who are dressed like a “lady” and not dressed like men wearing flats or gym shoes all the time.

2. Women who go ahead and buy a man bottled water or a drink even if they don’t ask for it.

3. Women who don’t try to “out dance” them on the floor as though they are in a contest.

4. Other men who give them positive “dap” or compliments.

5. Club owners who don’t discriminate and make everybody pay as opposed to “ladies get in for free until 10pm” specials.

10 Things Men Wish Would Change At Steppers Sets:

1. Women who are so assertive that they grab and pull on men for a dance without asking them if they even want to dance.

2. Women who sit in groups of three or more other women who give off the vibe that they are a bunch of women who “deserve” to be asked to dance only to turn down a dance and embarrass the guy.

3. Men who are offer to buy women a drink but the woman feels that ordering expensive “top shelf” liquor is common place.

4. When men walk women to their cars and they don’t even thank them for it.

5. Women who try to unleash a bunch of different footwork patterns that they’ve seen on the dance floor when they haven’t mastered their basic step yet.

6. Women who get “lit” or inebriated and you can’t lead them in the dance properly.

7. Women who sit around and appear to be angry at the world for no apparent reason so when they are asked to dance they don’t say “yes” or smile when they are asked for the dance and act as though they are doing the guy a favor when they do dance.

8. Other men who develop “guy crushes” on them and jock or follow them all night trying to feed off of their popularity.

9. Ego tripping heavy hitters who get a kick out of trying to teach a class when they don’t have their basics down pat i.e “Thank God I’m here to straighten yall out!”

10. Female steppers jumping into a man’s dance with a woman FORCING it to turn into a trio when that was not the obvious intent.