By Walter Rutledge
Los Angles urban dance warriors perform Krump, Memphis dancers have the Juke, New Yorkers are Flexn and Chicago homies dance Footwork. Footwork music began evolving in Chicago in the early 90s, drawing on Ghetto House and Juke but adding complex layers of odd, almost compulsively frenetic rhythms; it grew hand in hand with the athletic, high-octane dance style that shares its name.
The dance/theatre urban storytelling style is accompanied by original lyrics and music tracks that reflect social justice, inequality and systemic racism. For over ten years Chicago’s Era Footwork Crew has introduce Footwork to the urban “dance battles” and the greater international dance community. Era Footwork Crew continues to make the urban dance style as synonymous to Chicago’s cultural identity as Deep-Dish Pizza. These Urban Terpsichorean will be part of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project (CBDLP) in Unbound: Shattered Frames, Endless Visions, which will premiere Aug 23, 2025, 6:00pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance (205 E. Randolph Street).
The Era Footwork Crew are arguably among the best Footwork dancers in the world. The crew’s five original core members are Jemal “P-Top” DeLa Cruz, (grew up in Uptown); Brandon “Chief Manny” Calhoun, (from the southeast side); Dempsey Barney (raised all over the south side); Sterling “Steelo” Lofton, (East Chatham); and Jamal “Litebulb” Oliver (Chicago Lawn area) founded the Era Footwork Crew in 2014. Their commitment to Footwork as an artform and the civic pride in Chitown has taken the dancers for the streets of Chicago to international stages.
The Era Footwork Crew – Round 2: I’m Blow’d
Meet The Era is a short documentary that shows Chicago footwork from a footworker’s perspective. Shot and edited over the last year with director WillsGlasspiegel, the short features dance portraits of each member in The Era. Glasspiegel (who also directed Icy Lake) is currently working with The Era and Era Footwork member Teklife to produce a feature length documentary about Footwork.
Meet The Era – A Chicago Footwork Documentary
The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project’s (CBDLP) Aug 23rd performance of Unbound: Shattered Frames, Endless Visions at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance offers Chicago’s dance enthusiasts an exciting, innovative and diverse theatrical experience. From traditional African dance to contemporary choreography, modern jazz to hip-hop ballet, this event will highlight Chicago’s Black Dance excellence. The Chicago Multicultural Dance Company and Hiplet Ballerinas, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Forward Momentum Chicago, Joel Hall Dancers & Center, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Move Me Soul, Muntu Dance Theatre, NAJWA Dance Corps, and Praize Productions join Era Footwork Collective in this groundbreaking historic performance. For more information and tickets visit harristheaterchicago.org.
