Ed Donaldson...His Life in the Sunshine! Back

Oct 6, 2012

By Tracey Bivens

One could say that steppers come and go like buses. Edward Donaldson out of Detroit, Michigan has come and is leaving marks and impressions everywhere. At 6’, this Colgate smiled young man represents the "voluptuous” brothers who glide across the floor like velvet. This year Ed and Candy Prater won the 2012 WLSC Beginners Category. If you are a man who has seen him step…you probably wonder how he got to be so graceful. If you are a woman who has been in his arms…then you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say…he makes dancing with him more than a three minute dance…it becomes a three minute romance. Introducing Edward "Ed Lover” Donaldson.

Tracey: When did you first fall in love with hip hop (laughing) no…I’m kidding Ed. When did you first fall in love with steppin?

Ed: Well, I grew in love with steppin this year at a set at Firewater. I watched Feo dance with a young lady and he turned her from her body and moved her around by her thighs. It was so sensual, I knew then I had to put my touch on it.

Tracey: Okay…let’s get the logistics over with. Who helped you hone this skill that you currently have. Not who may have introduced you to the dance but who do you credit as having spent blood, sweat and tears in your receiving instruction in this dance while you walked up on that stage to receive your trophy?

Ed: Darryl gave me my introduction (can’t think of his last name with Angie) I know you didn’t want that but I had to acknowledge him. Sherry Gordon and Drew Alexander spent countless hours building and tearing down, shaping and molding my dance. Their teaching styles are so different but I love em’ both it keeps me balanced. I love and appreciate them more than they could ever imagine. They extracted a talent that I never really knew was there.

Tracey: You sport a t-shirt that carries a political statement on it. It says "I’m Ed…not Drew,” or something to that effect. What’s the message behind the shirt?

Ed: It started as a joke, but it became serious real quick as I began to progress in my dance. Everywhere I went, someone was calling me Drew or thought they knew me. So I needed to set the record straight. Now, I think it’s more of a giant name tag… (laughing).

Tracey: I’ve never met a young man in the step world, such as yourself, who can speak about a variety of subjects from politics, religion to foreign affairs. You have a little "bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay” in you too but you are the exception to the rule because you also speak a lot about the mysticism behind love and passion. Why has that become an integral part of your conversations with people?

Ed: That’s what life is about. Not to go to deep but… for example God can be omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient and any other omni’s you can come up with (laughing), but its only one thing he can’t be by himself and that’s LOVE! That’s why he needs us. That’s why I need you, it seems like no one is passionate about love anymore, but I’m gonna BE THE CHANGE. That’s something I live by.

Tracey: Tell me if you agree with this philosophy. You would be one of the fourth generation of steppers coming out of Detroit since 1997. What I mean by that is Sherry and I started at that time, then Feo and Candace came out around 2004, Drew around 2006 and now here you are. Did you have an easier time learning how to step because you received personalized instruction from people, because counting was NOT emphasized or because of your raw talent?

Ed: I think its two-fold. My teachers did things to make me understand the dance…not just teaching numbers or beats but understanding why you move to the side or take all the steps. The other reason I advanced so quickly is because I wanted this. I put in early mornings and late nights with this. I sacrificed my acting career to become something great so I had to go hard. My teachers just gave me the tools. I had to apply it.

Tracey: As I understand it…you love Walkin’. Okay…we are at the club and the song "No One Can Love You More” comes on by Phyllis Hyman. You walk over and ask a woman to "walk” with you. How do you try and make that woman feel when she’s in your arms? I am hoping some men will read this interview and absorb your concept of what that dance is designed to do.

Ed: Well first off if I ask her to dance…I make sure I dance with her…not with everybody that’s watching. So when she’s in my arm… I want her to feel secure and free. I want her to be able to close her eyes use her imagination and lead her to place she’s never been before. That’s why I love walking its passionate, sensual, sexy, tangible it’s the very essences of making love. I call it 4play!

Tracey: If you had not won this year, would you have kept coming back year and after year trying to prove something to the steppin world or yourself?

Ed: Of course…I love competition… it makes me strive harder than normal. I’m a sore loser too. If I had lost…I was gone knock over all the trophies (laughing).

Tracey: So inevitably people are going to expect you to start teaching and join the ranks of about 200 other teachers around the country. Are you interested in going down that road?

Ed: HELL NAW!!!... I’ll help out my teachers as a form of giving back but its too tedious and intricate for me. It takes a special person to be a teacher. I applaud all the good ones (Laughing).

Tracey: Sum up your steppin experience in eight words or less.

Ed: Vastly heterogenous!!

I raise a toast to Edward Donaldson’s contributions to this dance because he goes beyond a surface interpretation of it. He sees inside of the dance. He listens to the music and interprets the lyrics and makes the dance come alive. He is not a combination junkie who does a sea of endless moves with no breakaways. He’s not scared to elevate his dance by trying new nuances and owning them. He’s not afraid to connect with his partner by using his eyes and I can tell you this...when he steps …you are always going to see a smile on her face…and a sexy grin on his. Who can ask for more than that? Cheers to you Ed.