Between the uptempo music and his enthusiasm, it might be impossible not to move while Jaron Boyd is teaching footwork.

During a special Black History Month workshop in 2024, Boyd introduced students to the history of footwork, which emerged in the 1970s as part of the house music movement in Chicago.

Then he turned on the music and led students through basic steps. “Hop,” “switch,” “down.” He helped them get up to tempo, then introduced a few more complicated sequences.

By the end of the session, he divided the students into two teams for a vigorous dance off. Perfection not required, just joy of movement.

Spread the word

Boyd is an advocate for footwork. At the July 31, 2025, meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, he was one of about 10 speakers who supported a resolution introduced by Commissioner Tara Stamps designating August as Footwork Appreciation Month in the county.

“Footwork is our city’s original art form and cultural heartbeat,” he told the commissioners. “But (footwork) isn’t just about music and dance, it’s about the celebration of family unity in our community life and everybody that loves the soul of Chicago.”

He urged the commissioners to approve the resolution as a way of showing the world that “Chicago honors its own.”

“This is an investment in our youth and peace and creativity and global influence that this city has always held,” he said. “This is an investment in the culture that uplifts the youth and bridges generations.”

The resolution passed unanimously.

History

Boyd also told commissioners that “ I am a living testimony that footwork saved lives.”

He first encountered the dance style while he was a student at Rich East High School. After school, he would go to the Harold Colbert Jones Memorial Community Center in Chicago Heights to study and socialize.

One day, he saw a couple of students performing footwork moves in a dance battle.
“I was mesmerized by the energy and the fast pace of the kicks and steps,” he said. When he approached one of the students, Jason Brooks, Brooks offered to teach him the steps. Brooks also introduced him to the parties where dance crews would compete against each other.

Boyd was hooked.

As he improved, he decided to pay it forward, teaching the moves to several friends he played basketball with. Eventually, the group formed as a dance crew.

HAVOC

Boyd’s crew dubbed itself HAVOC, which originally stood for Having All Victory Over Competition. Later, the group changed the name to Having All Victory Over Challenges, and so it remains today.

HAVOC has evolved, though.

“It’s not (only) a dance group, it’s more so of a way of life,” he said. “The crew consists of many talents. You can have challenges trying to be the best musician. You can have challenges trying to be the best artist or clothes designer or barber, whatever it is you wanna do, you’re gonna face challenges to reach your greatness along that journey.”

The members support each other in whatever endeavor they individually pursue.

HAVOC started a tradition years ago of hosting a big picnic in Harvey every year on the second Sunday of August. It’s a chance for family and community fellowship, and because of his world travels, that community includes people from around the globe who come to Harvey to celebrate.

“Celebrities come and pop up to say hello to the kids, and people take pictures,” he said. “We cook for the whole park all day. People come watch the dance battles.”

HAVOC also provides a means for Boyd to teach and mentor young people who show a passion for dance. His goal is to help them believe in themselves and learn to push through challenges and setbacks.

“If you look at anybody that’s great, they had to face a challenge to get their point across and they never gave up on it. What made them great is by them believing in themselves to push their narrative or to push the truth of what they believed in. That’s like the solid foundation of anything in life.”

Successes

After high school, Boyd made a name for himself in the footwork world, where he is known as Prince Jron. He auditioned to part of Madonna’s team for her Sticky & Sweet international tour in 2008-2009 along with Charles Park IV of Markham, who dances as King Charles. 

He said Madonna was as impressed when she first saw Chicago footwork artists as he had been when he first encountered it back at the Jones Center. She added Boyd and Park to her team as  dancers and footwork choreographers.

Following the tour, he and Park performed on TV talent shows and started teaching footwork. They traveled the world, from Russia, Japan, Mexico, Canada and various countries in Europe, teaching the Chicago dance style.

In 2015, Boyd joined the staff of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, where his dancing and choreography experience quickly caught the attention of Catherine Cook, H-F Steppers coach at the time. 

He joined the coaching staff, and he and Cook decided to aim high. He said her goal was to be the best team in Illinois and to eventually win the national title. 

“I said, ‘Let’s do it now,’” and with her step experience and his footwork and choreography plus his experience performing professionally, the team won the national title in Boyd’s first year on the coaching staff.

The H-F Steppers, also known as the Vi-Kings and Queens of Xcellence, continue to be a powerhouse step team that has won numerous competitions, including two more national titles.

After the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boyd left, and Wesley Stewart took over coaching duties. But Boyd said he still advises the team when asked.

“Once we set the bar, we did not want to lower it, so we just kept it going,” he said. “That first team that won the nationals, they were able to be role models for the upcoming classmates. We will have the juniors and seniors coaching the freshmen and sophomores, so now the freshmen and sophomores can see the greatness and become the greatness.”