Kaffy: Beacon in The Nigerian Dance Industry

Dance is the best interpretation of music, which is food for the soul. Most times we understand the lyrics to songs better when they are expressed through dance. As a result, dancers almost become carriers of emotions, touching and changing lives like the music they hope to interpret.

Dance has come a long way in the Nigerian entertainment industry and so has Kaffy. I remember when Kaffy broke the Guinness World Record for longest dance party and was the last woman standing. I cheered because a Nigerian woman had done something that put us on the map internationally. Personally, I have seen Kaffy a number of times and I have always been star struck, but recently the level of respect has evolved to appreciate the woman she has to become – an amazon. And like fine wine she has gotten better with time.

Kafayat Shafau-Ameh aka Kaffy is a dancer, choreographer, dance instructor and fitness coach. From the catapult in her career which started in 2006 when she broke the Guinness World Record for ‘Longest Dance Party’, her journey has been nothing but outstanding and inspiring. Outstanding and inspiring because in the entertainment industry, dance wasn’t one of the highly revered art forms. But Kaffy has changed that mindset and has opened doors for dancers all over Nigeria as we know it.  She has changed the stories for the group of dancers she works with as well as the stories of other dance groups we have come to love and appreciate.

Kaffy refers to herself as a “dancepreneur” and rightfully so, she is the founder and owner of the award-winning Imagneto Dance Company. She was a judge on ‘Malta Guinness Dance All’, a judge and mentor for the dance show ‘Dance with Peter’ and she is a faculty member with Project Fame West Africa. Kaffy has also been linked to big brands like MTN Nigeria, Amstel Malta, Ciara, P-Square, Seyi Shay, D’Banj but to mention a few.

The award winning lady is our star spotlight for the week not only because of her achievements as a dancer but also because of her drive and passion that has led her to this point in the entertainment industry. Kaffy has shown exceptional strength and charisma, dancing when she was heavily pregnant and getting back into her complex dance routines, heading her affairs after suffering from major groin injury following the birth of her first child.

Kaffy is a role model to many women in Nigeria because of the strength and character she has shown. She is a beacon for the Nigerian dance industry and from what we see with the growth of her portfolio, this is only the beginning.