Post by Evita on Nov 19, 2003 10:35:44 GMT -5
With the Temptations, The Whispers, The Ojays, The Big Bands of the 40s and the 50s which were BEFORE the Temps and contemporaries, the music has expanded from generations to generation. Here is a bit of History about the dance that CHICAGO has POPULARIZED, (well, we Chicagoans Never stopped doing this and never stopped rockin the dusty records to this dance)... Check this article out.....My friend Debbie Walker sent it to me.....
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Hey, y'all... I found this article tonight, while roaming around on MSN (via Hotmail). And, I thought that you all might be interested.
Please DO pass it on, like to the Soul Patrol and/or elsewhere, if you feel so inclined...
Debra
*************************************************************************************
Chicago-born dance tradition gaining a broader following
By BENNIE M. CURRIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO, Nov. 17 — It's Tuesday at the 50 Yard Line Bar and Grill and the dance floor is packed with couples twirling and sashaying to the mellow sounds of Barry White, Gerald Levert and other R&B balladeers.
The dancers are cooler than cool, executing intricate moves best described with one word — smooth. This is stepping - Steppin', if you will - a distinctive Chicago-bred derivative of swing dancing that is spreading across the country.
Stepping originated in the 1950s as The Bop, taking on its current name
around 1990. The dance is a six- or eight-count movement during which
partners face each other and clasp hands while alternately moving
side-to-side and spinning to the beat.
Those are the basics. But stepping is better defined by the individual and improvisational style on display most nights in Chicago and its suburbs, where the dance has had a cult-like following among blacks for more than four decades.
''Stepping is about more than just dancing. It's a social way of life,'' said Herb Kent, a disc jockey at WVAZ-FM and longtime observer of the scene. ''Stepping was born here. It probably goes back to the days when jazz was hot and the dances like the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug were so prominent here.''
With help from R&B singer and Chicago native R. Kelly, whose current single and video for ''Step In the Name of Love'' is getting heavy airplay, stepping is now gaining devotees from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta to Los Angeles.
''When I first saw it, I fell in love with it,'' said Benjamin Cunningham, an avid ballroom dancer in Detroit, where stepping has joined a list of dances that include the Latin Hustle and salsa. The accountant and part-time dance instructor learned how to step about 18 months ago and now teaches it locally.
''I don't even want to do the other dances anymore,'' Cunningham said.
Stepping's spread doesn't surprise Pete Frazier, a Chicago impresario who has produced a stepping video and plans to complete a ''how to'' DVD later this year.
''It's a dance where you don't have to break a sweat but you can still go out and enjoy yourself because there's a lot of creativity involved,'' said Frazier, 42, a stepper since high school and winner of several contests. ''I teach it at workshops in other cities, but there are not enough hours in the day to get to all of the requests.''
R. Kelly's song, from his current ''Chocolate Factory'' CD, has all the
elements of a classic steppers' tune — sensual lyrics and a smooth,
mid-tempo groove. ''Ever since that R. Kelly song, people here have been getting into it,'' said Belinda Haywood, a dance instructor in Cleveland who started teaching stepping in July. She has spent the past year taking lessons in Chicago from James Calvin.
''My students range in age from 18 up to 80,'' said Calvin, adding that
his classes are ethnically diverse and attract blue-collar workers as well as doctors, lawyers and other professionals. For those who are ready to test their skills on the dance floor, Calvin offers a caveat: Counting your steps is a no-no!
''The dance is a basic six or eight step dance usually, but when you get on the floor and dance you don't ask the lady what step she wants to do, '' Calvin said. ''You just pick up the count and go with the flow.''
Not only might a novice stepper lose some cool points by fixating on
function rather than form, he or she also runs the risk of rejection.
''If a stepper thinks you don't know how to step, you might get left out on the dance floor,'' said Clint Mitchell, a 30-year stepper.
Many top steppers belong to cliques and social clubs that regularly get
together at dance parties known as ''steppers sets,'' Mitchell said, noting that older steppers prefer the more straightforward ''original'' style while younger dancers lean toward the improvisational ''freestyle'' form. Others are fans of ''walking,'' a slower version of stepping.
But no matter the style, steppers are a sight to see, showcasing slickly choreographed moves that sometimes are rivaled by flamboyantly colorful
outfits.
For 53-year-old grandmother Patricia Gray, Tuesday ''is my night to step.'' She has been a regular at the 50 Yard Line, located on the city's South Side, for the last five years. ''It's a form of exercise,'' Gray said. ''My family knows not to bother me on Tuesday because they know where I'll be.''
Stepping's exact origins are harder to pinpoint. From dancers to DJs to organizers of steppers sets, confusion abounds. While it is widely viewed as an offshoot of the Bop, its hard to pinpoint how the dance became known as stepping.
''It's like the blues or jazz,'' according to Dan Land, 47, who runs a
Web site devoted to all things stepping. ''You can't really specify who
created it. It's something that evolved.''
And as other dances (the Jerk, Hustle, Electric Slide) emerged and faded from pop culture, the Bop remained on the Chicago scene. Land added. ''It would always be around and people would keep changing it,'' he said. ''In the 70s it was called the New Bop and later on, stepping.''
Frazier, whose dance party billed as the ''World's Largest Steppers Set'' drew about 2,000 dancers from Detroit, Atlanta, Milwaukee and elsewhere Labor Day weekend, also hosts an annual convention in Las Vegas. He hopes that stepping will develop a mainstream following the way salsa dancing has - a view shared by Land.
''That has always been one of my objectives,'' Land said. ''It's a black cultural dance to me and people are beginning to do it all over the country. They may call it Ballin' (in Detroit) or 'Hand Dancing' (in Washington, D.C.), but regardless of what you call it, it all comes from Chicago.''
--- On the Net: steppersexpress.com/
© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
---------------------
ALRIGHT NOW! ALRIGHT NOW! FINALLY SOMEBODY TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT IT! THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE...
Peace!
---------------------------------------
Hey, y'all... I found this article tonight, while roaming around on MSN (via Hotmail). And, I thought that you all might be interested.
Please DO pass it on, like to the Soul Patrol and/or elsewhere, if you feel so inclined...
Debra
*************************************************************************************
Chicago-born dance tradition gaining a broader following
By BENNIE M. CURRIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO, Nov. 17 — It's Tuesday at the 50 Yard Line Bar and Grill and the dance floor is packed with couples twirling and sashaying to the mellow sounds of Barry White, Gerald Levert and other R&B balladeers.
The dancers are cooler than cool, executing intricate moves best described with one word — smooth. This is stepping - Steppin', if you will - a distinctive Chicago-bred derivative of swing dancing that is spreading across the country.
Stepping originated in the 1950s as The Bop, taking on its current name
around 1990. The dance is a six- or eight-count movement during which
partners face each other and clasp hands while alternately moving
side-to-side and spinning to the beat.
Those are the basics. But stepping is better defined by the individual and improvisational style on display most nights in Chicago and its suburbs, where the dance has had a cult-like following among blacks for more than four decades.
''Stepping is about more than just dancing. It's a social way of life,'' said Herb Kent, a disc jockey at WVAZ-FM and longtime observer of the scene. ''Stepping was born here. It probably goes back to the days when jazz was hot and the dances like the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug were so prominent here.''
With help from R&B singer and Chicago native R. Kelly, whose current single and video for ''Step In the Name of Love'' is getting heavy airplay, stepping is now gaining devotees from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta to Los Angeles.
''When I first saw it, I fell in love with it,'' said Benjamin Cunningham, an avid ballroom dancer in Detroit, where stepping has joined a list of dances that include the Latin Hustle and salsa. The accountant and part-time dance instructor learned how to step about 18 months ago and now teaches it locally.
''I don't even want to do the other dances anymore,'' Cunningham said.
Stepping's spread doesn't surprise Pete Frazier, a Chicago impresario who has produced a stepping video and plans to complete a ''how to'' DVD later this year.
''It's a dance where you don't have to break a sweat but you can still go out and enjoy yourself because there's a lot of creativity involved,'' said Frazier, 42, a stepper since high school and winner of several contests. ''I teach it at workshops in other cities, but there are not enough hours in the day to get to all of the requests.''
R. Kelly's song, from his current ''Chocolate Factory'' CD, has all the
elements of a classic steppers' tune — sensual lyrics and a smooth,
mid-tempo groove. ''Ever since that R. Kelly song, people here have been getting into it,'' said Belinda Haywood, a dance instructor in Cleveland who started teaching stepping in July. She has spent the past year taking lessons in Chicago from James Calvin.
''My students range in age from 18 up to 80,'' said Calvin, adding that
his classes are ethnically diverse and attract blue-collar workers as well as doctors, lawyers and other professionals. For those who are ready to test their skills on the dance floor, Calvin offers a caveat: Counting your steps is a no-no!
''The dance is a basic six or eight step dance usually, but when you get on the floor and dance you don't ask the lady what step she wants to do, '' Calvin said. ''You just pick up the count and go with the flow.''
Not only might a novice stepper lose some cool points by fixating on
function rather than form, he or she also runs the risk of rejection.
''If a stepper thinks you don't know how to step, you might get left out on the dance floor,'' said Clint Mitchell, a 30-year stepper.
Many top steppers belong to cliques and social clubs that regularly get
together at dance parties known as ''steppers sets,'' Mitchell said, noting that older steppers prefer the more straightforward ''original'' style while younger dancers lean toward the improvisational ''freestyle'' form. Others are fans of ''walking,'' a slower version of stepping.
But no matter the style, steppers are a sight to see, showcasing slickly choreographed moves that sometimes are rivaled by flamboyantly colorful
outfits.
For 53-year-old grandmother Patricia Gray, Tuesday ''is my night to step.'' She has been a regular at the 50 Yard Line, located on the city's South Side, for the last five years. ''It's a form of exercise,'' Gray said. ''My family knows not to bother me on Tuesday because they know where I'll be.''
Stepping's exact origins are harder to pinpoint. From dancers to DJs to organizers of steppers sets, confusion abounds. While it is widely viewed as an offshoot of the Bop, its hard to pinpoint how the dance became known as stepping.
''It's like the blues or jazz,'' according to Dan Land, 47, who runs a
Web site devoted to all things stepping. ''You can't really specify who
created it. It's something that evolved.''
And as other dances (the Jerk, Hustle, Electric Slide) emerged and faded from pop culture, the Bop remained on the Chicago scene. Land added. ''It would always be around and people would keep changing it,'' he said. ''In the 70s it was called the New Bop and later on, stepping.''
Frazier, whose dance party billed as the ''World's Largest Steppers Set'' drew about 2,000 dancers from Detroit, Atlanta, Milwaukee and elsewhere Labor Day weekend, also hosts an annual convention in Las Vegas. He hopes that stepping will develop a mainstream following the way salsa dancing has - a view shared by Land.
''That has always been one of my objectives,'' Land said. ''It's a black cultural dance to me and people are beginning to do it all over the country. They may call it Ballin' (in Detroit) or 'Hand Dancing' (in Washington, D.C.), but regardless of what you call it, it all comes from Chicago.''
--- On the Net: steppersexpress.com/
© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
---------------------
ALRIGHT NOW! ALRIGHT NOW! FINALLY SOMEBODY TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT IT! THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE...
Peace!