We Were Already in the Same Frame

By the time we publicly introduced ourselves as Concrete Steppas™ on September 8, 2025, the sisterhood was already there.

We had been going out together, dancing together, and spending time around the same people for a while. Looking back through the photos and videos made us laugh. No matter where we were, we kept finding ourselves in the same frame.

One quick clip takes us back to July 5, 2025, at Bethesda Theater. There had been no conversations about changing groups or starting our own. We were content, enjoying the dancing, and did not yet know one another the way we do now.

Look at the lineup. Dr. Danielle “Tonie” Tyler and Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown are in the center. KV Simmons is toward the back, helping other people learn the dance, as she so often does. Farther back, deep in the shot, is M’Balia “Bella” Rucker. Bella was not part of Heir Steppers, but there we all were, in the same frame.

The video plays at regular speed first, then slows down so you can see the lineup. Concrete before we were concretely Concrete.

Steel Sugar, Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown, is always capturing the moment. Photos, videos, all the time. Even in footage from the Heir Steppers days at Studio Heir, there were Dr. Tonie, KV, and Precious, dancing near each other again.

Different dance styles. The same kind of energy.

That energy is hard to describe, but we felt the chemistry. Maybe it was divine intervention. Looking back at that July lineup, we believe we were meant to be brought together on the concrete, well before we knew what we would become.

By the turn of September, we were ready to move in our own direction. There were changes and shifts happening within our previous group, and we found ourselves saying, “Let's just go with something that is easier for us to manage and that matches our flow.”

So we did. We made the decision, and we stuck to it.

On September 1, 2025, we went deep into Virginia for Red Grant's field party. We had already talked about moving forward as our own crew. That was the last event we attended with our previous dance group.

Somewhere in those conversations, we had joked that we were going to “K-Wang right out of here.” There was no disrespect behind it. K-Wang is a dance you can do in a line while moving along, and that was what made the joke funny.

That clip still makes us laugh. We were K-Wanging into our zone.

On Friday, September 5, we went to Alethia Tanner Park in Washington, DC, to hang out with our cousins, DMV City Slickerz. We had already been building friendships there and getting to know people throughout the line dance community.

We loved being outside. People would walk up, join in, and we would all dance together. There was something about that openness that felt different from being inside a venue. We were dancing, meeting people, and building relationships along the way.

That day, we were also laughing, joking, and fighting the bugs. A good time outside comes with a few uninvited guests.

We were already dancing a couple of times a week, so going out to the park felt natural. What was new was beginning to build an identity together as our own crew. Between the dancing and the laughter, we were talking and dreaming about what this could become. We wanted more than just another dance crew.

And let us say this about Concrete Steppas™: we are well conditioned. Age ain't nothing but a number. Some of the younger people will sit down way before we do. We are well conditioned.

Later that evening, we also stopped by Glow Fridays at Martini's Restaurant and Lounge with LaShae Iyonna, just for a little bit. We did a lot that day.

There were three of us making that start: Dr. Danielle “Tonie” Tyler, KV Simmons, and Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown. We never said it would always be only three. We knew we enjoyed dancing together and wanted to spend more time together. It was natural.

We are women of a certain cohort, if you will. We wanted something that could grow beyond a hobby while still fitting the lives we were living. We also understood how much goes into managing a large group, with different needs and personalities to consider.

Hats off to Ang, who organized our events when we were Heir Steppers. She handled so much with ease and grace. Having been part of that, we understood the work involved and wanted to keep our own group small and manageable, with enough room to encourage one another.

That encouragement matters to us. Encouraging one another toward love and good deeds, without making it a competition. Making space for each other to grow. And yes, we will check each other REAL quick.

We want more women like us to see themselves doing great things. We were beginning to carve out that space together.

We had been showing up in the same frame for a while. That September, we decided to step out together under our own name.