‘Dance is a language’
How did you come about dancing? I started dancing when I was seven. My mother introduced me to dance. She saw that I had a passion in music and movement at a young age and she invested into my talent. I was on a dance team from seven then I stopped at eleven because I […]
How did you come about dancing?
I started dancing when I was seven. My mother introduced me to dance. She saw that I had a passion in music and movement at a young age and she invested into my talent. I was on a dance team from seven then I stopped at eleven because I needed to go to school. At the time I was a teenager, dance wasn’t cool. So I started playing sports, finished secondary school and then went to college where I studied Marketing for two years. That’s when I realised that it wasn’t my true love. So, I went back to dance. I’ve been training and teaching ever since then.
What does dance mean to you?
It’s a tool to fulfill my purpose. That’s the way I see dance and I take it very seriously. It’s taken me through different places; trials and tribulations. I’ve met so many different people. I just cater to it, because it is God-given. I take care of and hold it dear to my heart.
Your profile says you’ve been taught African traditional dance. What do you understand is African traditional dance?
A few years back, I did shows with an African dance team based in the States. The teachers were South Africans. The styles were more South African. But I find it amazing when the soul connects to those drums. It’s so angelic… everything is a story; that’s what I love about it. There is a purpose behind every movement, uniform and costume. I understand and value that.
How are you able to translate/communicate emotions and messages in African dances?
First, I had to learn the foundation and the history. I was trained by dancers who were already doing what I wanted to do. That I way in no time I started finding myself in the dance. It was then I began to express myself through the dance.
Would you, therefore, say you have adequate knowledge of what African traditional dance is?
Not at all. It is an area I am definitely looking to explore some more. I want to explore everything and get well acquainted with them, but I’m faced every now and again with the challenge that I can’t master a million things. It is a tool that I can use and I would love to follow the history. There are so many countries in the continent; I don’t know if there is anyone who has mastered all the dances and steps. But one thing I know is that the dances enliven me up. If I don’t learn it, I can appreciate it. If I don’t understand them, I can appreciate them because know what goes behind it.
How difficult or easy is it for you to express yourself with dance?
It’s not that hard if you are being truly yourself. I would say in performances, I would say you are not really free to express yourself.
Why not?
If it is choreographed and there is a story behind it, yes, but when it is you just before an audience, I’m thinking more about giving them a good time. Expressing myself might be secondary; I might be tired, sleepy, hungry or upset. And if I incorporate that into the dance, it might not be what they want to see at the moment. But if I’m in a creative dance which we call, ‘Free style circle’ where everyone goes out and freely expresses himself, it would be more exciting. I guess this is me thinking about other people before myself.
Until recently, I didn’t know a dance could make one to cry. How do you evoke that kind of emotion from your audience?
Once you get into dance and understand it, you’ll realise that it is a language in itself. It is the same way when someone gives you a vivid story and you get emotional; it is the same thing with the movement. I could tell the story with the movement which could give you the same emotional feeling. A lot of times, people don’t realise that it is what is really going on, but it’s a language. We are communicating.
Who’s the one person you look forward to working with in the industry?
Everyone. I am open to as many people who welcome me. As many people as welcome me, I welcome them.
Who’s had the most influence on you?
My mother. She’s always believed in and never told me, ‘if it doesn’t work, what are you going to do next?’ she has never questioned me. She’s always supported me. My teachers also have influenced me from all over the world. I take all my training and put them into one big bowl and mix them together to see what I have. I did financial training, leadership training, and so many others. I don’t separate them. Combining all of them makes me the one person that I am.
It’s still largely unheard of in Nigeria to study dance in university. It’s similar to your situation too. What’s your take on this?
I guess it is still so in Nigeria, because it is unpopular. In the 60s and 70s in America, it wasn’t popular at all. Someone had to be the pioneer and created the path for the others to follow. If this is what the younger generation wants to do in Nigeria, then someone has to take it serious and make people believe in it. You can only achieve this through constant practice. This will show how serious and dedicated you are with what you are doing. In every generation, someone breaks the hold. Someone has to start out. Also, studying dance doesn’t make you a great dancer. It could make you a good teacher ,but being a good dancer is about the raw talent, the drive and passion. This is pretty much a package of just being a dancer and will speak more than the certificate of being one. Dance is a visual art and we need to be able to see it rather than simply speak about it.
How effective would you say dance is towards change and development?
It’s a high point. I just heard about Ajegunle and what has come out of it talent wise. Such things happen all over the world; where someone from a slum or low income area is given something with which to express him/herself. It could be art, singing, dancing, rapping or craft work, whatever. It’s just some thing through which they need to express themselves and channel their energy. Like the saying, ‘An empty mind is the devil’s playground’. If you are not focused on something, then the path is… it is too wide and too many things will get caught up in it and you are not likely to know where you are going. In the US, we have a juvenile system where we kind of counsel juveniles through the arts during probation. We are able to give them a tool which can help them to create and also discover talents which they never knew they had. Talent comes from the renewing of the mind. If you push a restart button in your mind, then change will happen.
How do you combine theatre dance with other forms of dance?
It’s a lot more time consuming, because there are more elements to consider. But that’s the transition I’m making. I love theatre, and in Houston, Texas where I’m from, it’s big business. Theatre is so rich that the recession never hit it. I’m not doing for money. I just believe that I have a talent and I want to put it on stage. I want to reach more people than I presently do.