Meet our Kickstart Team - Pearl Makayi

Tell us about your dance journey before joining the Kickstart programme

I started dancing at the age of 2! It started off as an after-school club for me so my mum could complete her university degree but as my love grew, so did the number of dance classes. In my teenage years I began to take dance more seriously and decided that I would pursue it as a career. After taking it at school and college as a subject I became vastly passionate about choreographing and performing. I decided to go to Shockout Arts dance academy in Manchester and graduated summer 2019. Since then, I have performed with a number of artists and on many large well-known stages. I also took on teaching for schools and for Project Female company. 

How would you describe your dance practice?

My dance practise is based in the style of Contemporary- Hip hop. I also love the dance style Heels. I would describe my dance practise as fluid, soft and heavily music orientated. 

What about the Kickstart programme are you most looking forward to?

I look forward to creating an individual dance project and also a collaborative one with my colleagues. I also look forward to learning more about producing and running a dance company as this is what I aspire to do in my future. 

Why do you love to dance? 

I love dance because it's almost like another language that we speak and communicate in. This is different and personal to each dancer and I find it so beautiful to explore other people's ways of dancing and their style. I love dance because it's universal and so widely scaled that there's never enough to learn and see in terms of styles. I just find it so interesting! 

You can find out more about the Government Kickstart Scheme and what our wonderful group of dance artists will be getting up to over the next six months here.