Did you know, that Steppin really has become an “umbrella term” for the New Bop, and the style of dance that developed in the 1970’s during the growth of events hosted by Sam Chatman and others? That style of Steppin’ is more energetic, acrobatic, footwork-driven, and some say, possesses the spirit of James Brown, as it showcases more of the desires and personailty of the dancer, than it does the structure found in most dance styles. At one time, this style was called “free-style”, but in actuality…this style was “Steppin’”. It’s movements reflect the Bop, but it is patently different and quite entertaining to watch. DMX Dance Company, does not teach this style of Steppin’.
DMX Dance Company has always strived to remain authentic to it’s approach to the dance, and that includes making sure that we allude to the styles that our program is based on, with the “proper” terminology. That being the case, as we have done for over two decades, we teach the original Bop, we teach Steppin, the smooth, cool and sophistication style of Steppin’, historically known as the “New Bop”, and we teach authentic Waliking on the original format structure by which you create your style, within the format.
Our ultimate goal, is to develop “well-informed” dancers, who are great decision-makers on the dance floor! We focus on developing the ability of students to hear, respond to, and enjoying the great musical expressions presented at events….and not to a particular type of song, but various styles of good, soulful music! We accomplish this by adhering to the original approach of using a unique number methodology that is easily removed early in a dancer’s development, and replaced with a clear understanding of “the Beat”, which allows students to more easily learn to “feel” the music, and learn to express themselves to the music that they hear, rather than ever getting accustomed to dancing to numbers and format.
We also believe in NOT focusing on the “idea” of “wrong” or “mistakes”, in becoming a practitioner of this dance. Mistakes are part of life, they teach us things, and often, mistakes can become a welcomed art of what we do, because they turn out to help us. The same is true in dancing! Focusing on mistakes pulls unecessary attention to a problem that hasn’t happened, or that is not so important in our process. We know that the goal in “this” dance is “The Beat”, so that’s exactly where we put our attention.
We hope that this gives you some insight into how we do things here at DMX Dance Company, and we would like for you to join us in our class sessions! We have trained many of the best dancers in the Chicago community, and built several dance communities featuring great dancers, across the United States, and in the UK, using these same easy & effective methods. Solve your Dance X-Factor, and Get 2 Steppin’, with DMX Dance Company!!!