"My wife and I share this experience with each other ... win or lose. My family will attract other families to this dance. It helps our relationships and brings us together in a family oriented activity."

There are 3 awesome steppers that are often confused, and for good reason. They are all talented, they have all competed in and have won contests and they all share the name, Kirk.

Kirk White (Chicago), Kirk Peterson (Detroit) and Kirk Pacley (Atlanta) have all managed to make significant contributions to the dance that has made them all household names within' various steppers communities. The 2nd installment of this three part interview series, will feature Chicago's Kirk White. During this triology, you'll see why these gentlemen stand out in the steppin’ world on both the local and national level.

Tracey: Kirk, how long have you been steppin'?

Kirk White: I’ve been steppin’ since 1977. I most recently started competing in ’05 with my wife, Sabrina and my daughter Ebone in trio contests.

Tracey: Who taught you how to step?

Kirk White: I’m self-taught. Now I do admire watching people like Dre, Ken Amorio, Tall Rick, Tyk Myn and Kirk Pacley out of Atlanta. Pacley brings out some nice footwork and finesse with his dance style.

Tracey: What do you think helps men to develop a significant dance style of their own?

Kirk White: Well, jazz music helps the men dance better because of all of the different beat and rhythm patterns. It also forces you to be creative because you never know when the song is going to switch up on you. A lot of the music they play at steppers sets hinders your ability to be creative if you’re a man.

Tracey: Given the results from the 2007 Worlds Largest Steppers Contest, do you think the contest is fair?

Kirk White: No it is not! There are a lot of different judges who like different styles but if you let the same people keep competing who have already one first place three times already what kind of statement does that make to the underdog? People who win 1st, 2nd or 3rd place multiple times should sit down and let other people have an opportunity to come back and win. That would make that contest a lot better than what it currently represents.

Tracey: What changes would you like to see occur on the steppers set?

Kirk White: I would like to see the women become a lot more graceful and elegant. You can look at women on the dance floor and see mood swings and presenting a 'thuggishness.' It doesn’t look right to see women arguing with their partner or fighting through a song because they want to out footwork the guy. I like to see femininity on the dance floor. I would also like the men to stop complaining about other people all the time to other people. People should keep their negative opinions to themselves and stop feeding into negativity that fuels fire on the set. Just enjoy the dance by dancing and not talking about it to everybody.

Tracey: Do you feel at this point that it is more important for you to be a role model in the dance?

Kirk White: It’s very important for me to make sure that teenagers learn this dance so they are not always walking around the street talking about “what’s up?” Many teens that don’t have jobs find that life is not offering them the things that they want to have. I think that through steppin’ teens can look forward to receiving that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…rainbow being whatever they hope to get out of the dance. Steppin’ has a way of working its magic on people.

Tracey: Will you compete in the 2008 Worlds Largest Steppers Contest?

Kirk White: Never again. I am not in the business of practicing hard with my wife and daughter, buying our clothing only to have the footage butchered from DVDs and exploited on the Internet for profit. I’ve always wanted to see myself on tape just to sit back and watch it in my old age but this thing with pitting me against other people just for entertainment is not why I entered contests. I have not seen any footage of myself in its entirety from a World’s Largest Steppers Contest!

Tracey: Some people have suggested that people should switch up partnerships as a way to increase your versatility in the dance. Do you agree with that?

Kirk White: Sabrina is my wife, my best friend, my dance partner … period. I’m not trying to dance at this point with anyone else. We are a package. I want to have fun with the dance and why wouldn’t I want to have fun with my wife? I’m not bitter about not winning first all the time. My wife and I share this experience with each other ... win or lose. My family will attract other families to this dance. It helps our relationships and brings us together in a family oriented activity.

Tracey: What has been your proudest moment in steppin’?

Kirk White: Winning first place in the Rockford Trio Contest with my wife and daughter. It doesn’t get any better than that. I get to be a dance partner and a father at the same time. There are not too many other people that can say that.

Tracey: Do you have any advice you could give other people who are chasing after the prize at the end of the WLSC?

Kirk White: Don’t chase after it if your not gonna have fun at the same time. I want my footage from 2005 and every other event where there was a camera involved. Sitting at home with my family looking at my accomplishments would have been fun to me.

Tracey: Kirk Peterson, Kirk Pacley and Kirk White are lined up next to each other. What would people say about you when they see you in the line up?

Kirk White: There goes Kirk White the family man. That’s the man the stands for something with his family. There goes the man who is with 3 Deep Productions who is getting back into One on One Productions with his wife and another married couple. There goes Kirk White who’s trying to get the teens to come to fight-free sets and get off of the streets. Anyone who claims to know Kirk White can see all that in me all day!

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