Hello everyone and welcome back.   I would like to introduce to some, re-aquaint to most and present to all, Lady Margaret Fisher.  She is a Chicago native and avid stepper.  She has won numerous Worlds Largest contests and  awards.  But with all of her Worlds Largest wins and accolades I have found that she is one of the most humble women I know.  Where most have ego’s beyond measure Lady Margaret stays within herself.  Now, with her most recent feat, being voted by our steppin’ peers, she is Chisteppers No. 1  Female Heavy Hitter for 2011.   She accomplished this by just being.  But I have found that she is a woman of great means. Most folks equate means to money and affluence.  I am liking it to life’s riches.  The  intangibles.  Her knowing that her experiences have become her best teacher.  I have always wondered what made this steppin’ phenom tick.  What’s beyond that effervescent personality and radiant smile?  So, I decided for my next blog  I wanted to make an attempt to peel back the layers of this complex woman and see what lies beneath.
 
Lady Margaret in twenty questions, let’s go!!!

1.  Who is your favorite steppin’ partner?  Now before you answer that, take into account how long you’ve been steppin’.  The obvious answer for me would be Dre (Andre Blackwell) but is there someone else besides him who just tickles your fancy when y’all dance?

Lady Margaret:  Well Ronnie I have a few favorite partners for different reasons. There’s Dre because  he brings excitement to my dances, Tyk brings creativity to my dance, Darrell Roberts brings romance to my dance, and Maurice Turner brings a little bit of all three.  My favorite walking partners are Herk and Magic Mike.

2.  What’s your favorite city to teach in outside of the midwest and why?

Lady Margaret:  What’s my favorite city to teach in?  That’s a difficult question because I love teaching anywhere but if I had to choose it would have to be Florida because of the weather, beaches, shopping, and there are other things to do beside steppin’.  I can have fun too.

3.  What’s your favorite steppin’ song?

Lady Margaret:  My favorite steppin’ song is by Christina Aguilera “Loving Me For Me'”

4.  Who’s style of steppin’ do you admire?  Old School and New School?

Lady Margaret:  My favorite style of steppin’  in ole skool is Tina Moore and my favorite new skool stepper is Danielle Wordlaw or what I like to call her, Danni Baby.

5.  French fries or chocolate?

Lady Margaret:  LOL!!  Well,  I love chocolate but I need to eat french fries, smiling.

6.  What do you think of women who step in 4 to 5 inch heels?

Lady Margaret:   What do I think of 4 to 5 inch heels they are for dinner and the bedroom!

7.  Tell us something about you that would surprise most?

Lady Margaret:  Tell you something that would surprise most, well, I don’t have nine kids LOL.   That was a rumor but seriously I’m a big baby.   I cry on sappy movies and I also send money to Feed The Children at 3 am, smiling.

8.  I am seeing that the same instructors are teaching steppin’ all over the country.  Drew Alexander and Tyk, just to name a couple, but actually, Drew is everywhere right now.  When I come to Chicago, I prefer some others for example Snoopy Kings class at the FiftyYard Line and I am still trying to get to Donnie Davis’s class.  But why do you think that nationally the number of  instructors who are  teaching from state to state bear the same name and face?

Lady Margaret:  Why are the same instructors everywhere? That’s a good question.   I would love to answer that but I really don’t know.  What I do know is that women run most of the steppin’ organizations outside of Chicago.  So if they want that man to come to their city that’s the way it seems to work.  What I can tell you is this and that is if  the out of towners don’t get their men together the dance will not go anywhere. There is a lack of strong leads.  There are one or two strong leads in some  particular cities though, but they are keeping the dance to themselves, so, hmm, I guess you can call it the alfa male syndrome.

9.  What’s your favorite holiday?

Lady Margaret:  My favorite holiday is my birthday LOL,  just kidding.   I would have to say Father’s Day.  I had the best dad in the world.  He taught me that I can do whatever I want if I want it bad enough and to also work hard.  RIP Poppy.

10.  You’ve been teaching for approximately 11 years, whats the most rewarding factor for you?

Lady Margaret:  The most rewarding factor is when I’m teaching and my student’s get it.  When that light bulb goes off.  I see it all the time, they will do a move and a distinct smile comes over their faces.  It’s a smile that says I don’t feel insecure, I don’t feel off, I feel good!  Its nothing more rewarding to me than to see that smile.

11.  Favorite Steppin’ DJ?

Lady Margaret:  My favorite DJ’s now you’re trying to get me kicked out the clubs LOL.  My first steppin DJ I ever heard was Sam Chapman at the East of the Ryan, Casper at The Other Place, but I was not steppin then. When I started steppin’ there was V103’s  Eric “ET” Taylor and Mellow Kris!

12.  How do you feel about all the accolades, namely, the most recent, the Chistepper steppin’ community voted you the number one female heavy hitter in 2011?

Lady Margaret:  How do I feel about my accolades well the one I received from ChiStepper was a great surprise and I was humbled by the experience.  I usually text people to ask them to vote for me but I didn’t this year.  I would like to thank each person that voted for me.

13.  If you didn’t step, what would your social outlet be?

Lady Margaret:   If I didn’t step, well, I’m a house head but you can’t dance like that all night LOL!  I thinks its hard not to step in Chicago even if you’re faking it. Growing up watching my sisters, aunts, and uncles step I don’t think I had a choice.

14.  You have run into a lot of adversity on the steppin’ scene.  How do you handle your haters, internally and externally?

Lady Margaret:  How do I handle my haters, give their asses 15 feet  because I don’t want to catch it! Just kidding, LOL!!   There are always going to be haters and there’s a quote  “we need haters to put fuel to our fire.”  I just try to get through it to get to the next phase of my life.

15.   How do you feel about promoters placing your likeness on their flyers/pluggers for their events without your knowledge?  Would you ever sue?   I find that there isn’t much accountability in steppin’ why do you think that is?

Lady Margaret:  How do I like promoters putting my image and name of their flyers I DON’T! It has happened a few times that I know of.  Now I have a Service Agreement made for me by a good friend, so if that ever happens again and they don’t have my Service Agreement I will sue.  As for accountability I really don’t know how I feel.  People have run a muck.  There’s no structure for the business of the dance.

16.  Your at Platinum 144 now.  How’s that going?

Lady Margaret:  Yes I’m at Platinum 144 ~200 W 144th St.~ Downtown Riverdale IL, every Sunday.  Ok was that a plug LOL?  I love being at Platinum 144 and they love me too. I was asked to start a Friday after work stepper’s set from 5-11 pm by the owners of the Platinum. 

17.  What are your plans for yourself when steppin’ has run it’s course?

Lady Margaret:  Well I don’t really want to talk about to many of my plans but I am working on a movie called Fracture Fairytales which Lions Gate gave us a small budget!

18.  Do you ever want to get married, and if so, how would you feel about your husband being a stepper?  Husband now not boyfriend.

Lady Margaret:  Getting married? Well I used to think that I wanted to be like Oprah and have a man.  I do want to get married.  I don’t care if he’s a stepper just as long as he loves me and respects me.

19.  Do you have a bucket list and if so, what are some of the items on your list?

Lady Margaret:   Do I have a bucket list, no I don’t.  But I would love to teach Steppin in China!

20.  What is your most guilty pleasure?

Lady Margaret:  My most guilty pleasure is nice clothes.  I love trying them on even after I’ve brought them.  Don’t judge me LOL.

Well, steppers there you have it, Lady Margaret unscripted.  

If you’re ever in Chicago check out one of her many classes:

 Mondays at MOCHA CITY Beauty Lounge 4300 211th street (Lincoln Hwy) 6 – 8 pm

A Better Weigh 1933 w 95th street,  Tues & Thurs from  6 – 7 pm and Sat. 11 am – 12 pm 

Visiting Chicago and you  wanna step with the No. 1 female heavy hitter in the game,  Lady Margaret, you can find her at Platinum 144,  location, 200 W 144th St., Downtown Riverdale, IL, every Sunday.

Until next time, Warmbrownshugga sending you all sweet steppin love.