We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kayla Dame a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kayla, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to pursue a professional dance career during my freshman year at Bridgewater State University. I remember performing at their annual dance concert and being one of three freshmen chosen out of the cast. I remember the audition process as well, with the audition having at least 100 other dancers. I remember it being difficult and a little intimidating at first especially because they said that year they were cutting down the cast by at least 80%. I was nervous because I really wanted a spot and the student choreographers had no idea who I was, so I felt my chances were low. I remember the ballet portion of the audition and how the chair of the dance department, Dr. Donna Dragon, was beaming and excited that I was auditioning. She had the biggest smile in front of me and I was so nervous to not mess up barre in front of her. I briefly remember the across the floor portion and that being modern and I remember how everybody was awe of my extensions.
I remember walking out of the audition confidently with my because I knew I nailed it. I

Originally, I was just going to be a schoolteacher and teach dance on the side. I find it funny because I cannot imagine my life at all being in a classroom teaching and not dancing. My life revolves around dance. With my freshman year experience it all changed. I wanted to dance and Dr. Dragon was the one who told my mom that I have a gift in dance and that she sees a star in me. Hearing my mom say those words back to me, meant a whole lot to me. It meant a lot because Dr. Dragon did not put her energy into just any dancer in her program. Since the audition, I was her favorite, and she always looked out for me and gave me opportunities that others did not. She saw something in me that I did not see in myself.

Since then I transferred to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to earn a Bachelors in Fine Arts in dance cultivating the knowledge and power of dance performance and choreography.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kayla Dame and I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I have been dancing since the age of 3 starting out at OrigiNations Cultural Arts Center with director Shaumba Yandje Dibinga. There I studied African, jazz, and hip hop. At age 11 I transitioned to Tony Williams Dance Center with director Tony Williams. There I studied ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz. I also performed in his annual production of the Urban Nutcracker. Besides doing recitals, the Urban Nutcracker was my first ever professional show. Performing in my first ever professional production was something I definitely bragged about in school. I mean, I got to miss school just to perform, who wouldn’t brag. From bouncing on the balls to hula hooping to hip-hop and jazz the Urban Nutcracker was a show I loved performing in and that you would not want to miss. This production taught me at a young age how to be a professional dancer through; commitment, discipline, behavioral, and etiquette.

In college, I first attended Bridgewater State University studying early childhood and theater. I don’t know why I chose theater, maybe because I liked musicals and you get to dance and act, but I ended up switching to early childhood and dance and then just dance. While at Bridgewater, I learned the scientific foundations of dance and how to teach in either studios or school classrooms/programs. While, I love teaching and working with children, I knew teaching dance wasn’t going to feed my passion fully. I wanted to be a professional dancer and I wanted to dance everywhere. So I transferred to the University of Massachusetts Amherst graduating with a Bachelor’s Fine Arts degree in Dance.

Transferring schools was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Transferring schools allowed me to surround myself with other dancers who wanted to be professional dancers. The school also gave me professors and opportunities to travel for dance and give me a glimpse of what it takes to have a professional career.

What I am most proud of too is that I chose a career path that I wanted to do. No one made me choose dance, I did this all myself.

I know I chose a “risky” career, but at a young age I learned that when you pick a career you love, you will never work a day in your life. I took the leap of faith and I’ve never looked back since.

I currently teach dance at Tony Williams dance center and work with the production of the Urban Nutcracker. I want everyone to follow your heart and follow your passions. You only get one life to spend it by doing what you love.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Definitely the amount of hours, dedication, sacrifices, and money spent. Pursuing a professional performance career is expensive. There’s classes/intensives, dance footwear, basic first aid needs, headshots/photoshoots, travel and your personal expenses. It doesn’t come overnight and takes a lot of practice and missing out on certain events. I remember growing up and missing a lot of school dances and games because I had dance and even as an adult now I’ve missed out on social gatherings because I had a performance. However I would not change my opportunities for the world. Missing a performance is a missed opportunity and a missed network connection.

I love to dance and perform and a lot of the times the sacrifices don’t feel like sacrifices anymore. Because I am following my heart and my passion and my dreams that it is all worth it.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building a social media presence is hard. It is hard because there’s a plethora of other aspiring dancers and professional dancers pushing content and you’re competing to be recognized. However I did not let that stop me or intimate me. It just makes me work harder. I definitely had to train all of my socials that I am a dancer and performer to get new people on my profiles. One of my methods is the use of hashtags.
Hashtags are the best way because people utilize them constantly and they can be different every single time. Meaning the title of the song that you used or the location or the artist can change. I also like to do a lot of challenges and follow trends to help build my presence so my profile doesn’t become redundant with the same thing.

Advice I would give is to be extremely consistent and to never give up on yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayladamee/?utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kayladame
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kayladameentertainment?_t=8nl5s3s300s&_r=1

Image Credits

Photo 1) Portteia Davidson, Photo 2) Paul Bloomfield, Photo 3) NoirxPhotos, Photo 4) Kayla Dame, Photo 5) Spirit, Photo 6) Bruce Mount, Photo 7) Andrew Regis, 8) Breanna Holmes