About Inside Steppin

Brian and his wife, Poppie, talked about Chicago and the Dance and how we contribute to Chicago dance society. They were focused on helping the dance grow and educating the public on the Chicago-rich history and culture. Living outside of Chicago, the rights and wrongs of what some folks were doing were more obvious. After one of the World’s Largest Steppers Contests, a new baby was born.

InsideSteppin was created in 2017, launched in 2019, and then covid hit. Inside Steppin is the Place to get Information on The Dance, The Events, The People, and the Politics of Chicago Style Steppin’. Learn everything you need about the Chicago Steppin dance, music, events, teachers, and history with Inside Steppin, and find live coverage of stepping weekend events. Guests discuss a Chicago Dance and aspects of historical Chicago and culture, fashion, and topics of interest to pioneers in the dance community. 

Past Episodes

About the Host Brian Forbes and co-Host Poppie Forbes

Brian Forbes, aka DJ B-Real, is a native Chicagoan from the Southside. He has been a husband for over 20 years to his beautiful wife, Poppie. They have three beautiful, smart, educated children. Brian is an entrepreneur, photojournalist, author, jewelry designer, and digital creator. He is a published author of “The Black Factor, ” a book about the raw in-depth look into black culture. Brian feels a passion for civil rights activists and the work they do. Inside Steppin is based out of San Antonio, Texas.

  • Brian Forbes has two podcasts that you can find on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live
  • As an artist, Brian has two major art pieces – Choices and The Switch – on the market in several art studios throughout the country
  • His personal goals are always to challenge himself and take pride in learning new things, and he always has a new project happening.
  • A quirky fact about Brian is his humor and the fact that he was on the tumbling team in high school, and he can still do a mean backflip.