Footwork Saves Lives
The Juke culture can be broken up into 3 fold; juke music, footwork tracks and the creative dance that pretty much goes with both sounds, footwork. With Chicago being viewed as one of the most violent cities, footwork has been used as an outlet, over the years, for young black men and even some women, to escape from that reality.
The style of dance is an art that physically exercises the body and even stimulate the mind. While performing the dance or even just listening to the sounds, this what dancers experience.
It’s used as an artistic gateway, just like painting or drawing, to give off the same result, which is relax and exercises the mind . But for Chicago youth, it’s not just an escape from the violence, but poverty too. It’s a different type of gateway that helps them avoid their realties, and troubles without using substance or resulting to violence.
People from across the city come together at different footwork or juke events and battle one another, freestyle footwork, party, DJ and just simply hangout.
On the Tenth of March, Joshua “King Jay Dot” Dotson who also footwork, hosted an event at the MBM dance studio located at 406 W 79 street, on Chicago’s Southside, off Vincennes. Dotson rented out the studio space and welcomed dancers from around the city to come in practice, battle, and even learn the culture of Juke.
Upon entering the dance studio, the loud footwork dance tracks could be heard from outside the studio. It was also strong marijuana smell upon entering as well. When I walked up to the MBM dance studio a young lady was sitting at the door letting people in, while collecting a $5 entry fee. As the door opened there were clouds of marijuana smoke in the air greeting people as they entered.
The tracks played loudly at a rapid pace. While groups of both men and women stood around talking, smoking, drinking, laughing, and occasionally jumping out of their small social groups to footwork and battle one another to the rapid paced tracks.
The Window and entry way of MBM Dance Studio where youth come and dance and hangout. (By: Cleanna Moore March 10, 2019) 
MBM Dance Studio business hours of operation. (By: Cleanna Moore March 10, 2019)
The MBM dance studio has been a safe haven for young men and women of all ages to come and footwork, dance, and hangout without being in the streets. Youth between the ages of 9 years-old and 35 years old come to the dance studio. But different gatherings, such as this one, was strictly 21 and older.
Footwork has saved lives and kept young men like Dotson off the streets. Joshua Dotson is a young 30 year-old who’s been dancing since he was 7 years old. It’ll make 4 years this summer he has been home since being released from Cook County Jail in July of 2015.
In 2015 Dotson was facing attempted murder and murder charges. Dotson defeated the murder charge, but was found guilty of the attempt murder, leaving him to serve 5 years and 2 months in jail.
Dotson said, “All I could do was sit in my cell and just think like, man I gave up all this being out in the streets. People coming from London trying to work with me and I blew it, I blew it all.”
Since returning home, he’s been at the MBM dance studio just about every day to stay out of trouble and keep a clear head.
Dotosn said, “I came home and got back right to it, and start posting my footwork videos and everyone start eating it up and calling. It just felt like this is what I suppose to be doing. God told me like this your calling, so it saved me. So I gotta do it.”
Dotson has had a rough life, but having this juke culture, such as the footwork dance and dance tracks to go with it, to run to and use has saved his life many times. The juke culture come together like a family and is felt like a home away from home.
Sterling ‘Steelo’ Lofton has his footwork family, The Era Footwork Crew. Steelo has also used the juke culture to not only change his life, but to also help him change other people lives.
The Era Footwork Crew making an appearance at Joshua Dotson’s footwork event at MBM Dance Studio. Steelo (left side), Lightbulb (Center) P-Top (right side) (By: Cleanna Moore March 10th, 2019)
He started dancing in 2006. In 2009, while attending Bowen High School, located on Chicago Eastside, Steelo discovered a love for footwork and decided to focus strictly on the footwork culture.
In 2014 Steelo co-founded The Era Footwork Crew in which the group made different appearances across the city as well as across the country. Some local events included the first ever footwork concert located at The Promontory in Hyde Park in 2017, followed by the first footwork art performance at the MCA museum in 2018 in downtown Chicago.
The Era was a part of Pitchfork in 2014, headlined in SummerDance located in Grant Park and Hamilton Park Cultural Center in 2017, and even started their own footwork summer camp called Circle Up in 2018.
But Steelo has personally gotten to travel to New York in 2014, Kuwait, in 2016 and recently to Denver because of his footwork skills. But also because of the opportunities the juke culture has opened up for the city and the people a part of the culture. He’s even created a his won Footwork save lives clothing.
T-shirts saying :Footwork Saves Lives” that Steelo of The Era Footwork Crew created. Taking his talent and creativity for the culture to another level. Being the design organizer for the crew. (By: Cleanna Moore February 3 2019)
Steelo said, “Footwork has taken me places I never thought I’d go growing. Just going to school and coming home practicing with no worry in the world. It’s been making me money now. It’s crazy to see myself doing what I love after so long and it’s literally paying off.”
The Era has made history being a part and even headlining some of those previous events. While also accomplishing those things in such a short time. They’ve used their resources to launch programs such their Circle Up footwork camp. They have received Grants and gave back to the communities throughout the Southside where juke and footwork was created.
Teaching all ages, especially youth, between the ages 8 years old to 18 years old, including international visitors, from all over the world how to footwork.
Steelo is holding the Chicago Reader newspaper with an article featuring The Era Footwork Crew and the culture of footwork inside of it. (Cle’anna Moore Feb 3. 2019)
Steelo said, “Tracks today has reached places we never thought it’ll reach like Japan, London and all across the states and once it’s reached these people, it’s changing their lives like it changed our lives.”
Where It All Started
Footwork is a fast pace style dance involving your feet, while also using your upper body. The upper body is used to dramatize moves and adds to a person style.
Footwork is its own style of dance that originated from the Southside of Chicago back in the late 90s. Chicago has created this footwork style of dance that has turned into an everlasting culture. There is even a specific genre of music attached to this culture of dance, which stemmed from another Chicago original sound called Ghetto house and House music.
Steelo using his feet, upper body, and facial expression to demonstrate the concept and emotion of what goes into the footwork dance style. (Cle’anna Moore Feb 3. 2019)
The genre of music attached to footwork though, is better known as footwork tracks. Although some may still call it Juke music, footwork tracks are a lot faster than the original juke sound that was created in the late 90s to early 2000s.
Footwork tracks are aggressive, fast-paced beats, going 160-165bpm with claps and bass included in them.These tracks were created for dancers to battle to.
Most of these tracks have a war or battle zone like sound to them, and some aggressive to vulgar language in them. This is what completely separates footwork tracks from juke music. The words in the tracks are also more vulgar and aggressive than words in a juke sound.
There has been different groups put together based solely off of footwork such as the Footwork Kingz and even The Era footwork crew, who was previously mentioned. These groups have also traveled the world to expose the culture of footwork and the music that goes along with it.
In 2009, The Footwork Kingz were broadcast don live television on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and then were also featured on season six of MTV`s America’s Best Dance Crew in 2011. Artist has taken the juke sound and applied to their music such as Dej Loa taken the Other dancers have been featured in hip-hop videos such as Missy Elliots Music Make You Lose Control video.
Look at How far Footwork Has Gotten Us
The culture will continue to expand as more generations are taught how to do the style of dance along with the culture that goes with it. The music will also continue to expand as DJ’s from across the country, such as London, have taken the sound and made it their own.
The Era Footwork Crew posted on the front of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Steelo is spotted in the front image of the Chicago Tribune newspaper teaching all ages and ethnicities how to footwork and what the style and culture of footwork is. (Cle’anna Moore Feb 3, 2019)
With the juke culture still around after twenty plus years, it does not look like it’s going to die anytime soon, at least not in its original city, Chicago. With pop culture dances, such as Souljas Boys popular Crank That Soulja boy, Dem Franchise Boyz lean wit it rock wit, DJ Unk walk-it out, and recently Drakes’ No Feelings challenge has all died down. But the juke music and dance has remained.
Artist has even taken the juke sound and applied it o their music such as Missy Elliot and Dej Loaf. Missy Elliots Music Make You Lose Control video choreography was strictly footwork. The video also featured Chicago footwork dancer. Dej Loaf had made her hit single in 2015, Back Up, based off the Chicago sound as well and incorporated the style of dance throughout her music video.
Every summer, since August of 1929, there is the Bud Billiken parade on the Southside. The parade is put together for the kids returning back to school after summer break. This is one of the largest parades on the Southside and has been ongoing for eighty-nine years now. August tenth of this year, will be the ninetieth year anniversary of the Bud Billiken. All the dance teams, drill teams, majorettes, bands, dance groups, and footwork teams march from 39th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive to Washington park located at 55th and Kind Drive.
Each team that march, always incorporates the juke culture in their showcase. Bands play juke beats with their instruments, majorettes strut to them , and even the radio station floats with their DJs on them, such as Power92 and WGCI, play juke music down Kings drive.
Not only does the parent look forward to the parade but so does the children. The generations now and to come will continue to be familiar with the juke culture, especially here in Chicago. Therefore the juke culture will remain relevant, a resource and hobby for the youth, and an outlet to express themselves and stay safe. Giving children something fun to do and important history to learn about what their city has created.
MOORE SPECIFIC. 