I was born to dance

When Marion Munga told her family and friends that she was leaving her stable job in finance to pursue dance, they told her she was making the wrong decision. She speaks about her initial naivety, regrouping and finally finding her space on the “dance floor”.

Marion, 29, always had an interest in the Arts. She enjoyed being part of the drama club during her high school days and when she went to university, her passion was reignited in a salsa class at the gym.

“I had a lot of spare time between classes, so I would stop by the gym to watch the dance instructor teach salsa. I admired how the students moved their bodies with such ease and wanted to be part of the action,” she says.

The dance instructor encouraged her to participate but when she did, she couldn’t seem to master the moves. Discouraged, she resumed her spectator role. But the dance instructor kept nudging her to try one more time.

“It took me some time to learn the moves but I finally did and I got excited about it. Soon after, I became one of the salsa instructors and I enjoyed it. A group of students and I formed a dance group – Salsa Caliente – and we would do small shows around Nairobi.”

Marion’s dancing was temporarily cut short when she graduated in 2011 and had to face the real world. She did an internship at a bank but did not like the experience.

“I think that was the first sign that I was not cut out for a nine-to-five job. I was not passionate about the job at all,” Marion says. But she stuck with it and went on to get a full-time job with a training firm.

“Although I got to interact with people a lot – which I enjoy – I still did not enjoy the work. The good thing about my job though, was that the hours were flexible, so I got to do dance classes in the evenings.”

Marion continued dancing salsa on the side with her dance group and one day in 2013, they saw an announcement for an international dance competition.

“The Berlin Salsa Congress is a big event and although we did not consider ourselves professional dancers, we decided to give it a shot. We prepared a dance routine with African moves, applied for the competition and went to Berlin.”

The group won and this made Marion want to pursue dance full-time. She resigned from her job and pursued a six-month salsa course in Berlin.

 “A lot of my family members and friends thought I was making the wrong decision. They said I should have kept my job and pursued dance on the side but I was determined to give dance 100 per cent so that if it didn’t work, at least I would say I tried.”

During her studies in Berlin she gained the resolve to return to Kenya and prove to others that dance is just as important a career as any other.

 “People in Europe value and respect dancers. It is not like in Kenya where someone will ask you what else you do. Dancers are paid well and their profession is just as important as a doctor’s.”

When Marion returned to Kenya, she immediately set up a dance workshop. She put up flyers and sent word out through her Facebook page but nobody turned up for the class.

“I realize now how naïve I was. I thought people would just turn up once I put up flyers but that is not the way it works. I tell everyone who wants to earn a living out of the Arts, be it dance, music or any other field, that you have to have business acumen. Talent is not enough,” she says adding that she too started to question the wisdom in her decision to quit her job.

Lessons learnt

After the reality check, Marion sought advice from other business people on how to earn from providing services.

 “I got mentored by coaches who organize conferences and they taught me the importance of planning. You do not just put up a post and expect people to show up. I had to start offering packages with discounts for those who paid in advance. I had to use the skills I acquired from my finance degree to make dance pay my bills.”

Marion started a dance company – The Dance Factory Kenya – where she works with dancers who are then hired for events including weddings, team building and they also conduct dance classes and fitness boot camps. Her team holds a monthly Latin party at the Caramel Restaurant and Lounge in Nairobi. Dance has taken Marion to Croatia, South Africa and Nigeria.

Marion says she wants dance to be taken seriously in Kenya.

 “There are so many benefits of dance like weight loss and stress relief. There are people who come for my dance classes when they are stressed, but by the time the class is through, their mood has improved significantly. That is why I do this. To see someone become happy after dance is an amazing feeling.”

Her face lights up as she talks about the benefits of dance. She recommends it for couples going through a rough patch.

“Salsa requires a lot of coordination, so if a couple has poor communication, salsa is good for them because they learn how to work together.”

Marion hopes to train dancers across the counties.

“I cannot be everywhere all the time, so I want to equip people with dance skills so they can go back to their home towns and teach others the moves. I wish aspiring dancers had more access to facilities. There are a lot of youths who want to pursue dance but they do not have the resources to hire out studios. This really breaks my heart. You will find a group of youth practising in an open field but they never really master the moves because you need to practice in front of a room full of mirrors. This helps all the dancers see each other’s moves and coordinate,” she says.

Marion has expanded the dance techniques her company offers. Apart from salsa, there are kizomba (Angolan dance), Afro beat, dance hall, merengue (Dominican) and zouk (Caribbean) classes available.

She encourages everyone to follow their passion, but is quick to add that following an uncommon career path is not for the fainthearted.

“You have to know what you want before leaving a stable job. If you are not sure of what that is, you need to reflect. Dance is not for everyone because you will not make money instantly so if you are not extremely passionate about it, you will give up,” Marion says.