During this year's contest a number of Steppers complained that the dance floor should have been elevated. Some argued that the judges couldn't see the contestant's footwork when they were close to the tables. To rectify this problem, they suggested that the raised dance floor be used in future contests. As a past contestant, I liked the raised floor better, although it did present quite a few challenges. One of the main challenges was the fear of falling off of it. Another was having a portable floor with the metal grooves that pose a problem for women with heels.

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Score: 0.0, Votes: 0

MzDenyce is the winner of the celebrity guess who contest.

Tasha Smith is all that and bag of Doritoes. Although she killed it in "Daddy's Little Girls," it was her role as Angela in another Tyler Perry film, "Why Did I Get Married?" that made her a cultural icon for Black women. When I was with Tasha, people stopped her on the street and waved to her in the car. You could see them saying, "That's the lady from, "Why Did I Get Married?"

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In the world of steppin’, it’s not unusual to find many couples on the set who share a common interest in the dance. Some Steppers choose to come out together and there are those who choose to go to different venues on different days. Then there are couples with different interests; one partner likes to go out steppin’ and the other one doesn’t. I chatted with one married couple, Khalil, better known as Dramafree on the ChiStepper message board, and lovely wife Shontá (pronounced Shon-tay) Muhammad to get varying viewpoints of how to balance this kind of relationship.

Vote Result

Score: 10.0, Votes: 3

In Graelin Woodley’s April 2008 ChiStepper interview, he demystified much of the history of the World’s Largest Steppers Contest. Graelin helped us understand why the prize money went from $22,000 in ‘94 to $15,000 in 2007, and why the crowd size went from 4,000 – 5,000 to 500 – 1,500. Steppers were also in the dark about how the contest transitioned from a downtown Chicago hotel, to the Willowbrook Ballroom in the suburbs of Chicago. As Graelin would suggest, it’s all about corporate sponsorship.

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There are times when I've made mention of or gave a shout out to a birthday recipient and I'm sure they appreciated the love. After a certain age, a birthday party may seem mediocre to some (I overheard someone mention something to this fact), but to others it's the ultimate time to party. Just Us Production's Rochella and Andrea's Sunday, October 19th party (Andrea's birthday) bash was great.

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Score: 8.0, Votes: 1

I finally made it out to Gary, Indiana for the 219 Steppers Club's 4th anniversary and Sweetest Day party. Following the Sweetest Day theme, the club members handed out gift bags with boxes of chocolate to the first 100 women that entered the Genesis Convention Center. Three of those bags included a $25 Red Lobster gift certificate, and being a shrimp lover, I wished I was one of the luck recipients.

Vote Result

Score: 10.0, Votes: 1

I was with Noel Gourdin at Tillman's, a laid back soulfood joint in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. He was celebrating the success of new single the river, which was #1 on the Urban AC charts at the time. Noel is a cross between R & B and Nu Soul and to be quite honest, River is not even the best track on the album. This young brother is talented, and super cool to boot. Check him out when you get a moment.

Simmie from Atlanta is the winner of ChiStepper's "Celebrity Guess Who" contest.

Vote Result

Score: 10.0, Votes: 1

For some time, when Chicagoans thought of Steppin' in Cali, Los Angeles came to mind. Most are probably not aware of that the fact that about 5 hours north, the Bay Area has a community that rivals L. A's. Damone Hodges, with his partner Malik, are two intructors that have helped pave the way for Chicago Steppin' in Oakland. Check it out ChiSteppers.

T. Pratt (TP): As I understand it, you're a disciple of M.A.K 3 correct?

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Score: 0.0, Votes: 0

I didn't plan on doing a review for After 7 this month but with noteworthy causes happening, I couldn't resist. After 7 Productions continues to be full of surprises every time I go.

Vote Result

Score: 8.0, Votes: 1

"For the love of the dance" is the winner of the celebrity guess who contest.

Eric Benet is really good people, with an excellent taste in women. If you read the October issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine, you will see that he is on the cover with Manuela ... Princes ex-girl. We all know that he once had the baddest chick in the game on lock with Ms. Halle Berry.

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Score: 0.0, Votes: 0

For those who may not know, October is National Breast Cancer month. I recently worked on a campaign for pharmaceutical corporation Novartis on a breast cancer ad for a new medication that they have. So when I heard about Monique's new organization for Breast Cancer, I was excited to see how I could help out.

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Score: 0.0, Votes: 0

I think there are some things that a person may want to think about before they step foot on the floor at a stepper’s set and/or a the World's Largest Steppers Contest. Your life automatically changes. For some people, it can change in a good way. For others, there are some haunting and negative memories that never go away. Detroit native, LaKeesha Anderson, who came in second with James Pacely in the Out-of-Town category this year is determined to make her experience in steppin' a positive one.

Vote Result

Score: 9.5, Votes: 2

Paradise Productions has been known for many years to have a variety of people that come out to their monthly sets. From North, South, East and West this party brought in people from all over Chicago. On Saturday September 27, Paradise Production had a surpirse visit from Zeke, the ringmaster side kick from UniverSoul Circus. Coming from Europe, China, Russia, Africa, and Brazil, people of color from around the world are showcased at this fascinating black-owned circus which is on tour here in Chicago. This year they are offering a steppers night at the big top on Thursday, October 2nd.

Vote Result

Score: 10.0, Votes: 2

As stated before, it is hard to objectively review your own function. In this rare case, I have allowed my best friend and assistant, Gina Gardner, to provide the review for this wonderful party, with a few footnotes from me, Crystal Fuller.

Vote Result

Score: 9.0, Votes: 2