The less trodden path

Wini Nkinda, 28, started as an English and literature teacher before fully embarking on a dancing career. She tells NELLY OBATHA what professional dancing involves.&#12288;Was dancing your dream career?Not really. I used to dance for fun since high school. My dream career was to be a sociologist, but I ended up studying English and literature at Catholic University and graduated in 2005. I taught at Malezi School then Aga Khan Academy and later Hillcrest International School where I worked until I resigned in July to pursue professional dancing.How did you know you wanted to be a dancer?It all started when I formed a dance group called Dice at Chogoria Girl’s High School. I was also the co-founder of Boomba Girls Dance Group in 2000.Another boost was when Big Ted spotted me dancing at a club and asked me to feature in one of Redsan’s videos. After that, I took up dancing seriously.What are your achievements so far?I founded Bone Marrow Dance Company in 2008 and I was a judge at the Malta Guinness Street Dance Africa in 2003, which attracted many young people. I was also a judge and a facilitator at the all Africa International Dance Festival in 2009.I also run a charity forum called Lovework since 2008 that does charity events every three months. Under this, we have a mentorship programme for young girls to help them handle various situations in life. Being a teacher has also been a great achievement because I got to influence young people positively through music and dance clubs. I began dance club at Malezi School and also taught dance at Sadili Oval Sports Club in Nairobi. I coached students in dance during the annual tennis holiday camps.At Aga Khan Academy, apart from the dance club, I taught Teaching Dance as a subject to International Baccalaureate (IB) students. I also taught dance for stage performance. It is the only school that offers dance in IB in Africa and it made me the only IB dance teacher in the continent.What is your company ‘Bone Marrow’ all about?It aims at promoting and teaching dance professionally. Dance is a universal language that complements and unifies people from all walks of life. We also teach life principles through dancing.The company also runs dance programmes for schools, which involves encouraging young talent. So far, we’ve worked with Kenya High School, State House Girls High School, Aga Khan Academy and Hillcrest International School. Bone Marrow also offers training in professional dancing such as choreographing for theatre films and commercials. Unlock, a mentorship programme that enlightens girls on issues affecting them, is also under Bone Marrow. What challenges have you faced so far?Although I plan to launch my company in November, I still don’t have enough resources. Getting dedicated dancers willing to participate in every performance has also been difficult. The other major challenge is that the dance culture is yet to be embraced as a profession in Kenya. This makes it really hard to get sponsorship for activities and events.What does a day in your job involve?Each day is different, depending on the bookings for trainings and specific programmes of the schools. What do you think of the dancing culture in Kenya?It is embraced more by the young generation. New dancing styles often come up among teenagers, showing their creativity. Some of them also copy upcoming styles in the media.Their interest is also evident in their involvement in school dance competitions and their turn out for dancing events and competitions. Apart from dancing, what are your other hobbies?I love the theatre and acting, and writing poetry and short stories. I am also doing photography and videography for fun.Any message for those yet to settle on a career? Don’t just get any job; do what you love, otherwise you’re wasting your time and your employer’s. If you’re employed, work as if it’s your own company.

The less trodden path

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The less trodden path

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