Why I can’t give-up on dance -Kaffy

In 2006, she danced her way into the Guinness World Record with her team, Imagneto at the Nokia Silverbird Danceathon and has since become a point of reference in the Nigerian entertainment industry whenever dance is concerned.

She has choreographed music videos and concert tours for several artists and has acted as a judge on some Reality TV Shows in her capacity as a professional dancer. With almost 20 years in the creative industry; Kafayat Shafau-Ameh better known as Kaffy in this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, spoke about her coming conference, the industry perspective about dancers amongst others.

It’s the second edition of the Dance workshop and conference, what should Nigerians expect?

They should expect an avenue that haven birthed and a project that will create a shift in the entertainment industry; the essence of the conference is to bring to life things that are hidden, motivate things that are frustrated, train things that requires extra skills and also inspire the future of not letting go of your dream just because somebody else has tagged it not the right thing to do.

With the theme this year; do you believe also that ‘Dance is a serious business’?

You see a lot of people don’t know the value of their art & craft and as such forgetting that dance is beyond shaking your butt on stage or appearing on musical videos. Indeed dance is a serious business because if I had not taken it as business from inception; I won’t be as big as I am today.

I can say boastfully that with dance I have been able to break bounds and put food on the tables of my family members. Like I said earlier, with the workshop; a lot will be revealed to the dancer on why they need to take their craft seriously. With the conference, I aim at catching them young which at the end makes them smart.

What prompted your decision to put out this conference for the second season?

This conference is holding as a result of all what I have been through as a dancer, for instance dancers been divided, backbiting, passing the wrong information about another dancer.

Some even go as far as saying’ They want to steal your artiste’, you take a dancer to an artiste for choreography and the next thing, the dancer wants to be the lead; also a dancer will do anything to get a fellow dancer for cheap.

It is important to state also that dancers in this part are not united enough to be able to create the force in the industry that there is need for dancers to be respected but I believe when we have about five Kaffy’s are available and we become so strong then I am 100%sure that nobody will want to mess with any dancers.

Also what people fail to understand is the fact that dances and music is a marriage that cannot be divorced because both parties need one another.

What is dance to you?

Dance is a way of life, is a culture and a power tools of communication employed to inform and empower. I have empowered myself through dance and I am totally sure that it can help humanity more than the way we perceive with.

In Nigeria, we consume dance mostly from the entertainment perspective and I believe the world should consume dance from all levels from the therapic angle, health and fitness, job creation amongst others.

That is the more reason you see that I am pushing from all angle and giving people reasons to ask questions like is it this same dance you are adding importance to and packaging.

Did you envisage that you will be getting this attention starting out?

Not at all, all I know was that I knew I would be great and successful because growing up as a child; you don’t know the process of greatness because all I wanted to do was to be known in my chosen field so as to be able to impact on other and matter.

For instance I grew up in a family where they think you can’t matter if you are a dancer and I told them I will matter to them one day through the dance path I have chosen for myself and today they are all super proud of me.

Do you think lack of regards towards dancer is the cause of the several omissions when it comes to entertainment awards?

This is part of the issue because dancers are been relegated despite been important. I thank God I have paid my dues enough to get respected by the artiste themselves

What impact does the internet have on your brand?

For me personally, am proud to say that, for me to have over a million and above followers, this is not like you went to buy followers, it means that people are interested what you are doing, and the internet allows direct access to my followers, and the people that are interested in my brand, and what my brand has to offer, so it also pushes me to be creative, to be innovative, and to also evolve.

The internet has drawn me closer to my future customers, and also created an avenue for me to showcase some of the things that I probably want to launch, so it’s like a great marketing application.

Is dancing something you can encourage people to do?

That is why am still dancing, I would have quit if I think there is no hope, for me to be a science student and venture into dancing, and stay in it, and be recognized for it, and still trying to impact in my society, in my country, and also changing lives.

One thing people don’t understand is am not doing dance because I want to move my body, am doing dance because I want to change lives, and it has changed lives from movement.

Movement is very psychological, I change lives of mothers, and that of young people, I take kids off the street.

For me I made ladies believe their body can create an avenue for job opportunities rather than sex sell themselves, so this things are empowering attributes of dance so it’s not just about the movement of the body, it’s about the building of the mind and that’s what am doing it for.

Do you think entertainment is something Nigeria should really look into?

We are part of the process, and as much as we can get to every sector, the health sector, entertainment, even the empowerment sector, where we can take kids off the street, we are an important caption of the economy, not just economy in the case of the money we earn,

but the society, further means that our activities will be required on daily basis, those are the areas that we should look into if these things are important then lets address them.

So do you think entertainment industry is the last hope for Nigeria?

It’s one hope, and a real hope, it’s a hope we are all seeing, because there is nobody in this life that does not enjoy one form of recreation or the other, whether you like to visit the art galleries, or you love to just go and watch a movie, or you love to listen to music on your IPad,

it’s something providing for those services, and we are the people here, gathered in one room, and these are life style choices, it’s not a Choice of whether you go or not, we don’t need you, its required.

I have not seen one human being that has said, since I was born, I never heard one song, or have never moved my body, even If you are awkward at it, something is happening to you. Art is life.