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Chicago-Style Stepping (also known as Steppin') is an urban dance that originated in Chicago and continues to evolve nationwide and overseas, while defining its unique style and culture. within urban community. "Chicago-Style Stepping" makes reference to other urban styles of dance found throughout the United States in urban enclaves such as Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.^{[example needed]}

Origins

The partner dances that began in Chicago during the big band era came from the east coast Swing dances the Jitter Bug and the Lindy Hop. The Bop emerged in the late 50's and 1960's when dancing at clubs and ballrooms flourished in the City. The Bop was directly influenced by the music of Chess Records and Motown Records. The basic pattern of the Chicago Bop was like most 6 count Swing dances. The Chicago Bop Style was similar to the "Philly Bop" as seen on the American Bandstand television show. The youth of the late 60's in the high schools of Chicago began changing the movement of the partner dance from a circular rotation to a straight line featuring a north and south pattern. During the 60's Chicagoans did not refer to the partner dance as bopping or stepping instead people simply said they were "dancing" however all dancers of that era acknowledged the Chicago Bop as the original dance. The basic characteristics of the Chicago Bop was smooth, cool, less acrobatic and done with one hand. In 1971 with the release of the JB's song entitled "Gimmie Some More" the younger generation of dancers created another variation of the partner which was called "The New Bop". The NEW BOP is the foundation of what is known as Stepping Today. With music fueled by the JB's, the youth from the streets of Chicago changed the pattern of the partner dance from one hand to 2 hands and the body motion from front to back to side to side. Years later, in 1974 a DJ/Prompter by the name of Sam Chatman saw a couple dancing and when the two separated Sam announced during the party "it looks like they are "Stepping" and the name Stepping became popular for the partner dance.^[1]

The term Chicago "Bop" was used to describe the dance form by Chicagoans until the early 1970s. Prior to that time "Bop" was a universally known term with its origin beginning sometime between 1945 & 1950 to express music and dance. The dance known as Chicago Stepping' evolved from the New Bop and is more likely a derivative of several east coast swing dances. No published syllabuses exist for the dance.^[2] Chicago-Style Stepping is an exclusive local dance and gained a foothold on radio in 1989 when a local radio station, WVAZ (102.7 FM) began playing music on Saturday Night. Prior to commercial radio expressing interest in "Steppers" music a college radio station WKKC FM 89.3 in 1975 began programming with Steppers Music.

Popularity

Steppin' in Chicago goes back to the late 1940s early 1950s, originally called Bopping it evolved with soul music as the street corner harmony soul songs did with musical bands. Stepping remained popular throughout, even as Hip Hop and Rap music came along it remained mainstream in the urban dance scene. ( Also there's the only Mainstream Steppin TV show in the World ! " Step On IT " urban ballroom show signed to icon rapper ' Skee Lo 's Music Mogul label/Sony for global distribution, Aires on IFAME TV via Roku/Apple TV.)

Artist such as Grover Washington, Jr.; Michael Jackson; Earth, Wind and Fire; Average White Band; and especially James Brown (J.B.'s Mono-rail) all had hot stepping tunes aside from many others.

R. Kelly's songs Step in The Name of Love released in 2003 and Happy People released in 2004 had videos that featured Stepping which helped move the dance into the national mainstream culture.

Characteristics

Chicago Stepping is a slotted dance. The dance bears similar characteristics to New York Hustle and West Coast Swing. The follower is typically kept traveling up and down the lane. Patterns like "roll out and rollback" describe the action in the slot or lane. The lane belongs to the follower and the leaders travel on, off and around the slot or lane. Its tempo ranges 70 to 100 bpm.

Whether you are Steppin or bopping the basic pattern of the dance has various ways of counting. There can be no count at all, an old school 6-count, a new school 6-count or the 8-count which is new school and the predominant count taught in classes today in 2024. Its basic rhythm pattern consists of a double and two syncopated triples. All follow the same general swing dance timing which is quick-quick-slow, quick-quick-slow, slow-slow.

Depending on how you learned and the count your dance is based on, you may start the dance or focus on the upbeat or the downbeat.

If you are an 8-count follower you typically start on the upbeat with the left foot on step #7. The 8-count would be counted "7-8, 1-2-3, 4-5-6". The foot placement would be "L-R, LRL, RLR" The specific timing for 8-count is slow-slow, quick-quick-slow, quick-quick-slow.

If you are a new school 6-count follower you typically start a little earlier on the downbeat with the right foot on step #5. The count goes "5-6-1, 2step3, 4step" The foot placement would be "R-L-R, LRL, RL". The specific timing for new school 6-count is slow-slow-slow, quick-quick-slow, quick-quick. To 8-counters it would just be starting one number earlier and look like 6-7-8, 123, 456, 7-8, 123, 456, 7-8. Notice that the word "step" is used in place of a number. This way of counting preceded the 8-count. An instructor by the name of LC Henderson decided to improve the clarity of the count and replaced the word "step" with numbers.

The new-school 6-count is identical to the 8-count in the manner of dancing. You cannot tell one from the other when watching someone dance.

The old school 6-count is different in the manner of dancing. This manner of counting preceded the new school 6-count and was even less clear, because it didn't count the steps at all. It counted the beats. The total number of upbeats and downbeats is 6. The count doesn't give you any idea of how to step. As a result it would be too difficult to explain it in writing. See the blog 6-count vs 8-count vs bop for an explanation.

It does, however start on the right foot on the down beat for the follower. The leaders start on the opposite foot as the followers, but they can also lead while doing the follower's footwork or do whatever they want with their feet while leading. This is why when demonstrating the dance the focus is on the follower's footwork since it doesn't change as much as the leader's footwork.

The Chicago Style Bop (swing dance) preceded them all and it did not/does not have a count. Please do not confuse this Bop with the hip hop dance of the same name called Bop