Hairpin Arts Center in Logan Square hosted a footwork exhibition over the weekend called “New Ghost”. New Ghost is a specific footwork step invented by Lightbulb. The exhibition documented his footwork journey, with section divisions dedicated to important places in his life: his childhood kitchen, the “dungeon”, a basement space where he and his fellow footwork’s practiced; and a roller rink where dances took place. Within the rooms, Lightbulb performed some footwork and spoke to key people in the footwork community.

One section was decorated to resemble a city park. Lightbulb sat on a bench and talked with Athenia “Princess” Travis, a key figure in the Chicago footwork community. Also seated in the room were Larry Hott and D’One Johnson. The group had an animated conversation about the history of Chicago footwork. I’m fairly new to learning about it, so I can’t reproduce that history faithfully here. They did, however, talk about a few things which resonated with the way I am thinking about dance.

They talked about the difference between learning to execute steps, and learning how to express and process emotion through dancing. They described how the dance allowed catharsis. While learning swing, I often feel like I switch between a mode of dancing which is pattern execution, and one which is emotional expression. It is a fine line to walk. Emotional expression through dance is not something that just happens. It is only through dedicated practice that one is able to train one’s body to react organically to the music.

The group also talked about the importance of the community of footworkers. Their experience was unique, in that these dancers invented the dance. Their practice of it directly related to the creative energy of the community. They learned and taught each other the dance through the battles which happened at parties. Their social relationships shaped the dance. The conversation made it clear that the dance evolved and matured in tandem with the building of strong community. It deepened my appreciation of how special it is when dancers build relationships with one another that allow them to experiment in creative expressions.