Hannah recently spoke to our Engagement Practitioner, Kenzi and asked her a few questions. Here’s a little bit about Kenzi, her journey and her work.
What is your background in dance, how did you start dancing and where has your dance journey taken you?
My professional dance training began at a young age as a Junior Associate of the
Birmingham Royal Ballet and then as a pupil of White Lodge, the London Royal Ballet Lower school, where I was fortunate to experience performing in the Nutcracker and Swan Lake. I loved all styles of dance including ballet, but ballet was never where my heart and passion in dance lay. I had grown up with my Scottish family, in a very non culturally diverse town and with no connections to my Caribbean family. I was one of very few mixed-race children in my community and one of the first mixed race pupils to attend White Lodge.
I loved ballet, but something was missing.
My passion for dance became lost and I chose to leave White Lodge at aged 12, saying that I would never dance again. I did not dance again until I was aged 26, which was when I met African dance and I discovered styles that made sense of my physical and emotional self. As a young person I often felt a sense of not belonging, I was craving the need to connect with my heritage. When I discovered African dance I was able to connect, through dance, with my roots and since then, I have been on a lifelong journey to learn, explore, share and inspire others through dance.
My choreographic style utilises the rich diversity of African dances, both traditional and from the diaspora. My purpose is to nurture confidence, connection and to support people to explore their own unique expressions and interests. My belief is that through dance, we can discover more about ourselves and each other, and develop the confidence to express ourselves with joy and freedom.
What have you done as part of your career in dance ( your favourite thing or things that stand out) and how has this led you to the role you are in today?
Being part of the Royal Ballet School at a young age, was an amazing opportunity to learn and train at an extremely high level, within a very disciplined and professional environment. This gave me a great foundation and continues to influence my movement style today.
When I discovered African dance I quickly went on to train and perform with 3 different dance companies – Tolo Ko Tolo – meaning life is Life, Akumpa – Ghanian dance group and West African dance theatre company ‘Nimba’, whom I performed with for 10 years across Wales, the UK and Europe. I have travelled to Senegal, Ghana and Gambia to deepen my knowledge and experience of West African dance, have trained and performed with a wealth of local, national and international artists and continue to travel to West Africa to train and connect with others.
To develop my technique and vocabulary, I obtained a BA Honours Degree in Contemporary Dance Performance at Middlesex University. In 2013 I was awarded the Trailblazers Starter Fellowship Scheme with Dance of the African Diaspora (DAD), to travel to ‘Ecole des Sables’ in Senegal for a six week professional training course for students and teachers of African and contemporary African dance. In 2019 I was awarded funding through the Arts Council England which has enabled me to further my practice and train in Afro dance styles internationally in New York and Ghana.
I love to perform and I love all of the creative aspects involved in this. I love to train and learn new movement styles and push myself in new directions. I love to teach and share my love of dance with others and I love to work in collaboration with other artists.
I currently teach weekly community dance and dance fitness classes and I work as an artist in residence in schools to deliver performance projects, curriculum support and after school programs. I deliver high quality dance experiences within schools, higher education, international schools, community events, community charities and companies, festivals including Womad, Shambala and Tribe of Doris, within mental health services, youth organisations and prisons.
What is your favourite thing about African- Caribbean dance styles and what is your favourite thing about dancing / teaching these styles to people who might have never interacted with this style of dance before? What is your thoughts on the importance of these styles being taught with the community and the younger generation?
Dances of Africa are so varied and diverse, so rich and expressive. As a continent three times the size of America, Africa has as many different dance forms as it does languages and cultures. African dances share similar characteristics, but they each have their own history, purpose and language. They are all as different and as diverse as the people from the African continent. Dance in Africa ranges from the most dynamic movements to the most subtlest. Every part of the body is implored, from the most minute isolated muscle to whole bodied movements. I love the freedom of movement that African dance styles allow, where our uniqueness and creative expressions are celebrated, whilst at the same time there is a high level of technicality within African dance styles that requires a lot of training and commitment.
African dance styles can also be very social – with interaction, playfulness and connection between the dancers, musicians and also the audience. Providing a sense of belonging and community. African dance has been a way for me to connect with my heritage, learn about my culture and history, develop lifelong friends and be part of a local and world-wide community.
I love to teach others these amazing dance styles and support and witness others to explore new ways of moving that they may have never done before or realised they could do. African dance allows people to dance as part of a collective whilst also encouraging their own creative expression as an individual and
as part of the group.
My life experience and dance journey has informed my teaching and leadership style, particularly with regards to the importance of following your heart and being true to yourself. I think it’s really important for everyone and especially for young people, to feel confident and safe to explore their unique movement style. It is also really important to teach these dance styles to young people, to share their histories, evolutions and influences, to give context and further understanding of the dance and music sector as a whole.
Dance and music from Africa has influenced many different cultures throughout the world known as The African diaspora – the worldwide collection of communities descended from the people from Africa. There are many dance styles that come from African and African American peoples dance such as lindy hop, swing, jazz and tap, and in the 80’s and 90’s the influence of African American dance and music became even more visible with the emergence of hip hop, breakdancing and street dance –– shaping
culture and being shaped by it.
Today these dances continue to grow, evolve and spread and in present day we have the ever evolving afrobeats/afrodance styles. Afrobeats/Afrodance dance is a diverse and fascinating style originating predominantly from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and south Africa. It is an evolution from traditional African dance styles following the creation of Afrobeats music.
Why do you love to dance?
I believe that dance is what I was born to do.
Dance is a universal language which allows us to connect and engage with various aspects of ourselves and each other, including our emotions, identities, our histories and cultures.
Dance is where I feel my true self, where I am lost in the music and the movement whilst also deeply connected to myself, to others and to life. When I am dancing I am living my best life, I am truly alive.
What is your role as engagement practitioner at RISE, can you share what work you have been doing as a part of rise? What have you enjoyed within your role? In your opinion, why is engagement so important and what have your goals/aims been within your role?
The aim of my role of Engagement Practitioner with RISE is to –
- Increase and develop connections in Bristol schools and youth organisations.
- Deliver quality and inspiring workshops in those schools to encourage participation in dance.
- Encourage and support any young people who are interested to join the RISE Company
with the rest of the RISE team, address any barriers which may prevent a young person from participating.
I have increased and developed connections within Bristol Schools and youth organisations by offering free dance taster sessions with RISE Youth Dance. I have reached over young people through delivering high quality, engaging and inspiring dance experiences which have or may later lead them to engage further with RISE and or other dance experiences I’ve really enjoyed having the opportunities to bring exciting experiences of dance which could affect a young persons decision to dance again in the future. The opportunities to enhance quality dance experiences in Bristol, to help young people discover a love of dance and increase awareness of RISE and how they can access and be a part of it.
I believe that engagement in dance is so important – Dance and movement provides multiple benefits for our mental health and wellbeing. It improves brain function and growth, neurological changes and the release of endorphins. Dance is a fantastic way to develop a variety of skills from communication to social and personal skills, develops confidence, self-esteem, connection and a sense of belonging. The benefits of dance are endless and we are at a point in time where we really need to support each other and our younger generations to improve and maintain positive wellbeing and mental health.
Why did you want to work with RISE and what has been your favourite part about working as a part of the RISE family?
I believe that I share the same passions, ethos and values as RISE. I am passionate about helping to empower young people to realise their full potential, to develop confidence in their abilities and to give people the belief and resources to enable them to fulfil their ambitions. I wish to further contribute to our dance community, by working collaboratively and in response to our young people needs, by supporting opportunities for collective and personal growth and to help lay the foundations for our future generations
to walk upon.
I wanted to be part of something, to help further develop my practice and help to inspire and empower new dancers and teachers. I love the progression routes that RISE offers, the opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills and to be part of a community and dance family.
My favourite parts have been teaching dance – of course! And to work with the RISE team. It has been amazing and I don’t want it to end!
If you could give advice to your younger dancer self what would it be?
Think about your dance career in the long term and consider and gain experience and skills in other areas and career pathways within the dance and arts sector. As a performer (whilst always working part time as a mental health worker) I was always so busy performing and achieving what I had wanted to do that I was not thinking enough or planning for the future. So this is what advice I would give to my younger dance self. And to not make decisions from a place of fear. Say yes to as many opportunities as possible, take risks and consider making short term compromises for your future (ie moving away to access high quality and diverse training to further your career).
