When did you start dancing?
I began dancing when I was in the womb, taught informally by my mother through the blood memory of her ancestors. My mom is Ivorian – from Côte d’Ivoire – and when we were little kids she would push aside the coffee table in the living room to teach my two older sisters and I West African dances from the Ivory Coast.
We started a dance troupe called Akwaba and at 8 years old I began performing West African dances with my sisters for different cultural events. However, it wasn’t until I was 15 years old when I took my first ever dance class. It was a Ballroom Dance class at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Then and there is where I began my formal dance training.
Why did you start dancing?
My mom’s passion and pride for her culture was always present in the house. She loves dancing, (my dad as well), so I was influenced by her great enthusiasm. All I wanted to do was dance and would drive my family crazy always dancing around in the living room. I was an addict. I mostly started dancing because it made me feel happy and free and I loved interacting with others through social dances.
Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
As a child I was most inspired by Michael Jackson. I wanted to dance just like him.
Which dancer do you most admire?
Martha Graham would be the dancer I admire the most because she revolutionised dance in the theatre by developing a way of communicating the essence of what we experience as humans. She gave back dance its humanity in the theatre. She also used her dance language as a vehicle to empower the individual that broke barriers of race, gender, ethnicity and status.
What’s your favourite role?
One of my favourite roles to dance is the Minotaur – Creature of Fear- in Martha Graham’s Errand Into the Maze. After doing this piece, you are transformed into a superhuman.
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