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were you able to achieve that?
“Abs of steel” (laughs) I don’t think I have my 6 pacs back at the moment. I would say I’ve been able to snap back into shape because dance has always been my culture and fitness has been my lifestyle and when you are physically fit and a pregnant woman, you just adapt to the new you. I didn’t stop working
out when I got pregnant, when I crossed the threshold of the first trimester, it was easier for me to go all out and continue my physical activities as though I was not pregnant, and that helps with the childbirth and getting back into shape. Mine was a bit difficult because I had 2 caesareans. I have a body that heals fast though so I was able to get back to work 14 days after the process.
Diet plays a fundamental role in fitness lifestyle. What is your diet about?
Diet plays a major role. In my opinion diet is not about cutting
off food, for me diet is about eating (laughs), eating the right meal. This is also relative to the person’s taste buds. I am quite basic with food, I am not very experimental, so I get my vitamins from supplements. I am not a heavy eater but when I eat, I enjoy Nigerian delicacies. I also believe in portion control, as the body needs just an amount of food to function. We are more attracted to the taste, feel and idea of food beyond the amount the body actually needs. When we realise it’s more about the quality of
the food rather than the quantity, it helps to pull through. So, for me Dieting is not “Not eating” but rather taking the right meal to help attain your body goal irrespective of it is you trying to put on weight or lose weight. If you are looking to put on more weight, you adapt your diet to food that helps you build muscle mass, and if you are looking to lose weight, you avoid food that con- tain excess calories. It is really about your objective and portion control; it is about energy so you look at food that supply you the energy without hurting your arteries.
Do you see dance as a popular sport or means of living becom- ing big in Africa any time soon?
I am a 100 per cent sure that dance will take over the industry. The element of dance cannot be left out of entertainment as it
is deeply embedded in the African culture. It is in us, we are just trying to get you to see the value of dance and why it is so strong in our culture. I’m yet to come across an African tribe without
a dance culture. Since that kind of thing comes from us, it’s up
to us to allow it evolve into different lifestyle services or choices we can have. We are already tapping into it and using it, but
we are trying to get out of the mindset and perception that it is not viable. People spend a lot of money to get the services of entertainers and you think they are not business people? People spend huge amounts to get dance services at their weddings and would not want to respect them? If you spend so much on anything, it deserves some respect. We are getting there, prov- ing to people that dance and its relative services are the same as other services in trade and commerce. People are starting to realize there is something in it and we the practitioners of the art have used our lives as template for parents, guardians to see that you can do dance and make it.
Tell us a little bit about your recent event to give back to society by rewarding up and coming dancers
I just recently concluded a dance project called the Dance Workshop and Conference Africa. It was born out of the percep- tion that low value is given to the creative and art industry as well as the lack of information among practitioners and the audience. There are a lot of grey areas and untold stories which affect the practitioner’s productivity and value gotten by the audience.
The conference was able to allow both parties understand each other’s values and understand the unchartered areas of the industry especially from the dance perspective. Dance is far reaching, beyond what it is now. Like converting a precious stone into different forms, dance is diverse and can be customized for different sectors beyond entertainment and lifestyle transcending into fashion, technology, content providers, visual artists, health and wellness. It is very vast and dance stands at the centre of all of this.
Under these circumstances, it was just important for me to set
up a project that enables dancers have access to information about how to use their craft to sustain themselves, make money, evolve into empowered minds, and also other industries to see us, understand and support us. So, if a young dancer who has good business acumen decides to open a studio, he can walk into the bank, defend his business proposal properly and the banker will see that he is a business man that provides services for a need and would support. I must admit so far, the feedback has been amazing concerning how enlightened people have become, through the platform.
52 | The Lion King | April - June 2019