LINK UP WITH JESUTOFUNMI
November 16, 2021 04:05 PM
We caught up with the amazing "Dancefriq" and it was indeed fun! He’s so energetic and jovial, literally had us smiling all through the interview with his delightful spirit. It’s beautiful too see how he has taken charge of his fate as a dancer and how resilient he is following his passion for dance. We can say he is a Superman as he joggles his studies, cinematography, music and even basketball! Such diversity. In this interview, Jesutofunmi takes us through his journey so far, and he elaborates on his future prospects and all that he has going.Q: Let’s talk a bit more about you, tell me about yourself.
Q: For someone that seems to be interested in, and involved in a lot of artsy things, why are you studying Metallurgical Engineering?
A: I had always been into music and dance, and loved basketball too in high school, but I never thought of knowing more or going deeper into all these. At the point where I decided to get serious with them, I was already ending high school, was already in the science class, and naturally had already decided to do Engineering.
I usually tell people that if I am to go to school for the second time, I would study Theatre Arts because that’s where my heart and strength lies.
And I’ve added more skills to myself since I got into the university, skills like cinematography, to compliment my dance career and content creation.
Q: Looking at the things you do, I can’t help but notice its diversity. In that case, how and why is it dancing that stands out for you as your biggest passion?
A: I started dancing when I was really little, until my mum forced me to stop. In the absence, I got into other things that I was interested in. But later in my life I saw that the drive to dance just came back stronger, like it never really left, so at that point I knew that there’s no other skill I love more than dance.
Q: When you returned to dancing, how did your parents feel about it, considering that they had compelled you to stop in the first place?
A: At first, they were strongly against it, so when I got home, I never danced. And whenever I couldn’t help it, I would sneak out to rehearsal. Even after rehearsals most times, I ended up not performing any of them because they would not let me go out of the house. But anytime I was at school, I kept dancing.
At some point however, they got to see my works online through other people because I blocked them (laughs) Then they got mad at me; it was a serious problem because it involved church leaders, as my both parents were/are pastors.
Eventually, they came around and my dad was in support before he passed on this year. My mum is too presently, because she has seen the effect on social media, and people at her workplace have made her love it too. She has also seen to some extent that it is a source of income, and I think that has also helped her to warm up to it. At least she knows now that is not just a useless pass-time activity.
Q: So, how did you begin your dance journey? How did you know you could dance?
A: I’ve always known I could dance; I can’t say how I knew exactly, but since I was as young as four years, I knew if there was one thing I could do very well in this world, it had to be dance. It felt so easy, and it looked good on me.
At the age of five, I would be on stage with guys way older than myself, cos the talent was obvious.
However, my Parents stopped me from dancing just before I finished primary school because they believed that I would go to hell for it, just like Michael Jackson. (This was the era that a published book went viral, and in the the book, the author claimed she had been given a revelation of hell where she saw Michael Jackson in hell for dancing/moonwalking. It was a popular book especially amongst Christian folks at the time.),
Because of that, I was made to stop dancing and I stopped watching dance related content. I also stopped going out for dance related activities for the next seven years.
When I was in JSS3, I just felt this need to give myself a nickname. At that time I was still not dancing, but then I couldn’t imagine myself living without actually dancing, and that’s how the name "Dancefriq" came about.
I left it at that for two more years, until I was in SS2 going to SS3. One day my elder sister came back from the university for a break, and she showed me a video of Kida the Great and how good he was of a dancer at such young age, younger than I was at the time.
It was at that point that I knew that I had wasted years of my life not dancing.
That challenged me to pick it up again with or without my parents’ support, and I began to dance and upload videos even when some were not good enough. I kept learning from dancers online. That’s what has helped me to this point, social media. I never had a dance teacher or went to a dance school.
When I entered university, I immediately chased dance wherever I saw it and seeing better dancers helped me improved, especially as I’m a really fast learner.
That’s basically my Dance journey
Q: The interesting part about your story is how you picked yourself back up after so many years. Seeing how much you are invested in dance, are you looking to get into dance full-time or is it a hobby you believe you’ll outgrow soon?
A: Full-time actually. There’s so much I’ve got planned for dance, And the world isn’t even ready yet, I’m not even ready. (laughs)
Q: Go on, please tell me more
A: Dance is one of the major reasons I chase financial freedom, so that it would make it easy for me to pull off things and create contents that I want to create, however I want to create it.
I currently own a Dance Brand called “P e R f E c T I 👌n 💯”
It’s a team presently made up of three dance artists and one cinematographer, and I plan to expand soon. Some visions I’ve got planned need money, and God is taking us through the process of getting there.
Q: Seems to me like the structure is already set and you’re just waiting for the greens. (Both laugh) So, what makes you different from other dancers? Considering that the dance industry looks to be pretty much saturated right now, what is your standout point?
A: Yes, the dance industry is saturated really. There are a lot of dancers, but there’s still so much to be done in the dance industry, especially in this part of the world.
Nigeria is just filled with dancers, but not many of them are actually doing anything in particular. I follow a lot of guys abroad and I see that there’s so much to be done in the dance industry here in Nigeria, and that is what makes me different. I plan to pass across certain messages through my dance when the time is right, and not just to see dance as an end in itself. To me, it’s not only about the kind of moves I pull off, because there are so many amazing dancers out there.Q: What is the message you are looking to pass across through your dance career?
A: There isn’t a particular message, it isn’t only one message. Also, there is so much I can’t say right now, until the right time. But in summary, I intend to pass a message of drawing people bit by bit closer to God, by God’s grace
Q: From our conversations so far, I can sense that you are willing to put all your eggs in one basket when it concerns dancing, and it makes me want to ask. In fact, I am asking, if you woke up one morning and discovered that you could no longer dance, what would you do?
A: Well, it has always been dancing for me, so I hope and pray that never happens. I don’t talk about it because I don’t wish for it to happen. But for the sake of this interview…if that happens, It will be music I will go into.
Q: Nice. In that case, you owe us a song when we are done with this interview (both laugh). Moving forward, what are your favorite dance moves and why?
A: I can’t say I have a favorite dance move because saying so would mean I have a favorite dance style, when in reality I love all style of dance. I like to stay versatile so that dance can help me express whatever I want to express, however way it needs to be expressed.
Q: How old are you at the moment, and at what age would you love to stop dancing?
A: Currently, I am twenty years of age. And for when I would love to stop dancing, I think when I am really old. Like eighty or ninety years of age, because I plan to move my body for a really long time.
Q: What has been your biggest challenge as an upcoming dance artist in Nigeria?
A: Location. Having to miss big gigs because I am based in a place where dance isn’t growing at all. And combine that with school activities clashing with my opportunities to pursue certain prospects in dance. Then there is low budget to pursue dance projects. Then finally, finding the balance between remaining a good and effective Christian while venturing deeper into the dance and entertainment industry is not easy.
Q: Tell me more about the challenges of balancing your faith with your career of passion
A: Oh well, there was a point in my life where People in church, as in, high people in the Church leadership paid attention to my dance and were complaining that I was using secular songs to dance, and it shouldn’t be so. They had their reasons for believing that was a problem, and I understood their sentiments. It took me time to recover from that, because that gave my parents more reason to not see dance as a good thing.
It has taken me some time to be able to balance being a Christian and being a dance artist in this world we find ourselves.
Q: As we conclude, let me ask; what is that one thing about yourself that surprises you?
A: My ability to go all the way in anything I choose to do. I tend to go to the extreme to achieve whatever I set out to do, and it shocks me most times, how lengthy I can go for anything I’ve decided to do.
Q: Lastly, what do you have to say to those thinking or still contemplating getting into dancing, either as a hobby or as a full-time career. In the same vein, what are your parting words to your audience, and to those who support you?
A: Everyone with the desire to be a dancer should pursue it and keep moving. Strive to be different, strive to be unique, because there is space for everyone. Fill up that space with whatever you have been made to do.
