Don’t Workshop Me Over!

An I Love Steppin Commentary

by Tracey Bivens (Imasteppa)

I am keeping in the back of my mind that discussions about controversial topics are good for the soul. What I’m keeping in the front of my mind is that discussions about controversial topics need to be addressed.

As many of you already know, I take education very seriously. Because it is my profession, I tend to hold much fidelity to teaching practices and the integrity of the curriculum. As a freelance writer, I’ve covered many 3-4 day steppin affairs around the country which means I get to talk to a lot of people and hear the voice of people that might not otherwise be heard.

I must say that steppin students that attend out of town workshops have been the most vocal in the last two years. As each city grows, so does the steppin knowledge of that city. It is expected that if people receive lessons on a weekly basis from their “home” instructors that anything an out of town instructor might add, under the title of a “workshop,” would only enhance what that student has learned…right? Only if the definition of the workshop is clear. Workshops in the steppin community need to be revamped.

Beginners Workshops are straight and to the point…if they are called that. You learn either the basic female or basic male pattern with a count. You learn your right or left turns whether you are male or female and that’s pretty much it. However, I never see the word “beginners” on most of the flyers that circulate around the country thus leading people to believe that they can get something that goes BEYOND those basic introductory steps. The word “beginner” is seldom used because new steppers generally don’t like referring to themselves as “babies”, which is what they are for all intents and purposes. For the most part, you will look on a flyer and see “Workshops” with a bunch of pictures of famous steppers who are super-duper advanced.

I hear from many Chicagoans, that men and women who are new to steppin are never taught how to dance. The women are taught to become spins goddesses and the men become combination junkies. Well if that’s a problem, why are we not teaching men how to dance before they learn anything else?

Let’s call this workshop “Male Steppers 101.”This workshop would gather about 8 notable male steppers from Chicago and around the country and have them stand in a circle and just groove for about 20 minutes (minus women) so the male students who just paid $30 can observe them and take mental notes. Afterwards, there should be a 15 minute conversation about what the men are thinking about while they’re dancing i.e. “I’m not trying to sweat my jacket out so my moves are limited,” or “Every time I spin, I pose as if I’m taking a picture.” This valuable information is worth its weight in gold if the male students are willing to listen and learn. The final portion of the class should allow the men to stand side by side or behind the invited guests and try to capture some of their movements. Problem solved…right? Well, the invited instructors certainly won’t be making a killing in profits but they may be able to gain revenue in “privates” afterwards.

I feel that after women leave their beginners basic workshop that they need to attend the same type of workshop set up for just them which, encourages them to just dance. I mean let’s face it. Everybody is NOT going to go to Chicago to go to the 50 Yard Line and study steppers once a month. A lot of people can’t afford it.

I can hear it now. “But Tracey, you messin with the $400 I would get coming to these cities makin money off of these people.” Am I? People are already venting about feeling like they are wasting their time and money.  I have spoken to angry women who have said that workshops that are called intermediate have them doing the basics the whole time or being paired up with beginner men to be used as a crash test dummy for two hours. How do you fix this? I certainly hope that instructors do not believe that 40 -60 people are going to learn anything beyond the basics. It’s impossible if you have 4 different levels of students who have 3 different counts and 9 types of styles. On a positive note, I must say that the Walkin Workshops are very effective because they are applicable with immediate results. Women learn their patterns; men learn theirs, both come together and wah-la…their walkin by the end of the workshop.

It’s time to move forward steppers. We can keep on pretending that throwing the word “workshop” on a flyer best serves perspective steppers or newbies but it doesn’t. All of the “popular” steppers that I know NEVER learned in workshops. They were either taught by watching other people, listening to conversations, watching videos of people at actual sets or receiving privates. I’m going to always be for the underdog. I’ll end by trying to think like a frustrated student of steppin. “If you want me to respect your dance, then teach me the correct way. Don’t tell me to count and listen to the music at the same time if you are not doing it. Don’t tell me to dance more when you only show me combination after combination. If I don’t know how to dance, then show me how to “ride the beat” before we move any further. I will respect you, I will respect your dance and I will respect my own dance. Please work with me…don’t workshop me over!”