PHOTO | TROY HULL

Couples pair during a Detroit ballroom session. Swapping partners is part of the learning process. It also helps dancers  socialize, Step This Way Urban Ballroom owner Kim Pickett says.

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Everyone puts their best foot forward in Kim Pickett’s dance class.

Students at Step This Way Urban Ballroom cross-step, shuffle and change direction to a pulsating rhythm as Pickett demonstrates the steps to Detroit ballroom. Some are more polished; the less experienced make the occasional misstep. Ultimately, everyone navigates the hardwood floor.

Pickett, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools social worker, owns Step This Way Urban Ballroom, an academy of Chicago stepping and Detroit ballroom dance. It’s her weekend release from working with elementary school students.

“For leisure, when I want to take a mental break, I teach Detroit ballroom and Chicago stepping,” she said.
Urban ballroom’s dominant styles were launched in the Midwest and eventually spread across the country, with clubs, dances and competitions reminiscent of the early part of the 20th century. It evolved into a 21st century art form by embracing changes in dance tastes and techniques.

“It’s something the African American culture has been doing for years and it has now moved to the South,” said Pickett, a native of Gary, Indiana who grew up on Chicago stepping.
According to Chicago Style Steppers LLP, stepping evolved from the Jitterbug of the 1930s-50s to the Bop and eventually the smoother style of today.  According to the organization’s website: “the men and women danced on the opposite foot. The ‘Bop’ was performed in an East to West direction, consisting of two shuffles, a kick and a cross-step in both directions.  The exact amount of steps used in the Bop are used in stepping.  The difference is the direction of the dance.  Stepping is a dance done in a North to South direction.”

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Detroit ballroom, also called urban ballroom or urban contemporary ballroom, was developed in the 1970s by Capers Tyus, Tyrone Bradley and Linda Harris, who combined bop and ballroom. Michael Tyus, Capers’ younger brother, told the Los Angeles Times in 2012: “They took the old ballroom of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s” and added elements of “Lindy Hop, bopping, stepping and salsa.”

Detroit ballroom uses basic cha-cha steps as its foundation, replaces traditional ballroom’s Latin sound with R&B, blues and even hip-hop. The physical benefits are plentiful: the movement improves agility and weight loss. For student Kimberly Jones, the dance floor is a stress-free zone.

“I teach high school, so I have a high-intense schedule just dealing with the kids every day,” she said. “This is a good stress reliever for me as well as good for me health-wise. It helps me stay in shape, it’s a mental thing for me. It keeps me motivated. It relaxes me.”

Pickett learned the intricacy of urban ballroom in the South, however, after an encounter with Charlotte Purple Steppers co-founder Demond Carter, who taught her urban ballroom’s steps and technique.

“I started about 12 years ago after I moved to Charlotte and found there was no one really doing couples dancing,” Pickett said. “I was really starting to miss it, so I had the opportunity to meet Demond Carter, who taught me Detroit ballroom.”

Pickett branched out and became a teacher with Step This Way, where she teaches both urban ballroom disciplines Saturdays with up to 25 students in attendance. Charlotte’s urban dance community – generally 30 and older – has grown large enough to host soirees and travel to other cities for parties and demonstrations.

“It’s something I just love doing,” Pickett said. “I know when I retire, I need to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and I figure I’ll do this as a business.”

There’s also a social component. Andrea and Jay Johnson of Concord are taking classes as part of preparation for their 25th wedding anniversary party, but they’ve learned interacting with their fellow students brings everyone closer.

“You switch partners and you learn new moves, new techniques,” Andrea said. “At first, I was surprised by it, but it’s fine, it works because you learn better ways of how you’re doing it. You’re learning from everybody.”

Jay adds: “As we switch partners, we learn from each other and communicate. I met a guy who loves football and dancing with our wives and maybe you find a person who does a spin better, so you stand beside that guy and learn how to spin like he does.

“You learn how to network together as we learn together. It’s a good environment.”

For information on Step This Way Urban Ballroom, call Pickett at (704) 401-8890.

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