There are many people in the Steppers community from seasoned elders, out of towners, and dance experts for other genres with their various definitions of what “WALKING” is and what the Walking music is. This article won’t debate the merits of any one individual’s definition of what walking is and is not. Clearly it is a well established fact that “no two men walk alike.” I will leave the debating to the experts. I’ll share what was passed down to me about the art of walking from the perspective of a rhythm dancer whose gift was instilled from family and matured from the many great individual walkers that I witnessed over the years. What I learned about playing walking music came after becoming one of the most prolific steppers DJ’s in the history of the partner dance. However, I intend to keep it simple and call WALKING “a beautiful thing”.
Walking, for me, is a rhythm dance that showcases excellence in execution. I learned to walk in the tradition of elders who are in their late 70s to mid-80s. As a young adult, I watched and took notes from the many gentlemen and ladies in the clubs and ballrooms of Chicago. Walking is an art in motion. And most elders who walk can also Bop and Step, as well. I see Bopping, Stepping, and Walking as “one dance.”
The Chicago style of walking that I speak of is unique to the Chicago area; I’m proud to say, and the truth is no one walks like a Chicago man. The Chicago Style is simple, elegant and straightforward. Most of the men who are walkers from Chicago #1 prefer to dance on the outside lane #2 and does something different in every corner of the floor #3 does everything humanly possible to maintain the spacing to keep the flow of the walking parade nice and smooth. And most of all a REAL WALKER, respects and never violates the personal space of ANY WOMAN.
There is a single misnomer on the set that is crippling the growth of the art form, and that single misnomer is the perception that walking is an intimate dance. Walking is NOT an intimate dance when executed in the Chicago Style. Walking differs from slow dancing, where bodies are pressed upon each other. Walking is a man presenting himself to the woman in an open position, and the first thing that I DO AND TEACH a woman is to find the rhythm of the music with me before proceeding to WALK in BOTH OPEN and CLOSED positioning. A man should present himself to a woman in a non sexual manner before attempting to embrace her in a close position.
In no way am I attempting to overlook the many “horror” stories shared by women who have become victims to men who have found themselves unable to handle their beauty. In no way am I attempting to discount the feelings of women and men who DO NOT want another individual violating the “personal” space of a significant other. The issue of closeness and boundaries has been an issue with this type of dancing over 400 years, and there are many couples that have successfully navigated the issues of closeness with other in a relationship.
The best advice is to listen closely to your partner and act accordingly to do what is best for your relationship.
Finally, for Walking to flourish again, it needs the help of present-day musical engineers to believe that Walking is beautiful.
The Society of Boppers, Walkers & Steppers 