STEPPIN' IN VIRGINIA BEACH
By: Kathi Pines

Out of one man’s love for dance, an entire community of new dancers is born.

A diverse crowd of people, ranging in age from 50 to 20, men and women of varying racial and socioeconomic backgrounds gather in a Virginia Beach dance studio on a Friday night typically reserved for dinner with significant others, concerts, or strolling oceanfront night spots who appear quite satisfied to be here instead.  As they exchange hugs and catch up on how each other’s work week while exchanging their “street” footwear for a pair of dancing shoes, the sound of an early 80’s  Micheal Jackson hit pipes through the speakers.  The music is a signal that its time to get to work.  As the dancers line up in front of the mirror, a tall and lanky 20’something appears, wearing a hoodie and faded jeans (the standard uniform of most urban men his age) and an unexpected pair of  well worn dance shoes. Standing in front of this assorted ensemble he commands their attention,  “Okay, let’s go over a few things from last week, 1 and 2, and 3 and …”  Soon, this unassuming presence has the group gliding with cool precision in the intricate partner dance known as Chicago Style Steppin’.

Many people compare Steppin’ (as it is affectionately called by those familiar with the genre) to dances like The Jitterbug, The Swing, The Offtime, and The Bop. Steppin’ is actually born out of a combination of all those African American dances. With Chicago widely acknowledged as the intersection where all of these genres fused, it is a dance consisting of two or more people dancing as partners in synchronization to a 6 or 8 count beat to musical sounds of Jazz, Soul, Funk, R&B, Neo Soul, or Hip Hop. With growing acceptance of people from all ethnic and social backgrounds around the country, scenes like this one in Virginia Beach with a young man in jeans leading a class are being seen all over America in dance studios that were typically reserved for such ballroom dances as The Waltz or The Foxtrot.

To watch Jonathan Green charismatically instruct this Advanced Stepping class, going over the third turn pattern of the night in just under thirty minutes, one would never know that this 26 year old from Chicago’s Southside once was too shy to dance in public.  “In Chicago, Steppers can be brutal, if you don’t know what you are doing, you might get left on the dance floor.”  Jonathan recalls how he went to several Stepper Sets in Chicago, looking on from the sidelines, calculating which lady would be most likely to say yes to the prospect of dancing with him.  “My mom is a Stepper so, I grew up learning how to Step at home but, I lacked the confidence to get out there and do it in front of strangers.”  That all changed when Jonathan spotted a familiar face in the crowd at one of these Stepper events.  “I saw one of my mom’s friends, and I knew she would dance with me.  At that moment, something came over me and I’ve been dancing ever since!”  After graduating college, Jonathan took his love for stepping with him to California’s Bay area where he landed a job in corporate America.  “ When I went out to California, I found myself dancing every chance I got.  If I wasn’t working, I was in a dance class.”  It was during this time that Jonathan’s talent as a teacher began to become apparent.  “ I think I began to annoy some of my teachers because others in class were asking me questions and I was sorta’  getting in the way!” , Jonathan laughs. 

Jonathan soon found himself moving again, this time to Virginia Beach, VA to help his father raise his 16 year old brother and work in his father’s business.  Jonathan did not want to stop Steppin’ but, since there was no “Stepper’s Scene” in the area, he realized he had to create one.  He received permission to start teaching at an area studio. “ I just wanted to create an environment where I could go and have a good time dancing, in a nice, clean, classy way. A place where the women were ladies, and the men were gentlemen.”  First Jonathan understood that the diverse culture of the Virginia Beach area demanded that he know how to do more than just step, he spent hours in classes, becoming proficient in most other forms of ballroom dance. He began teach Salsa, Mambo, The Waltz and other dance genres but, never left his first love of Steppin’ behind.   Using a grassroots approach, knocking on doors at dance studios, advertising with T-Shirts, flyers, cards, and signs,  Jonathan has now found himself at the forefront of a movement of those who love this dance in this area. The demand is so high, Jonathan can now be found at least six nights a week in dance studios all around Hampton Roads with classes full of people who want to learn how to “Step”. His days also are now spent teaching private lessons.  His goal to create a Steppin’ Community are being realized. Members of his advanced class (Also known as the Virginia Beach Steppers) have been spotted dancing alongside Jonathan at various events and the number of Steppers in the community is steadily growing.  Jonathan states quite humbly, “ I don’t want this thing to be about me, I just want to create a community of people that love this dance as much as I do.”  It appears that he is doing just that.