A former member of Fly Chix, top 16 finalist of So You Think You Can Dance and now a teacher of dancing in heels, Takkies tells us more about her career and building a dance empire.
Tell us about yourself and your career.
I am a driven and passionate choreographer, dancer and businesswoman that’s building a successful dance empire.
What makes a good dancer?
A good dancer is a combination of passion, drive, focus and lots of training.
How was Rocking ‘N Heels born?
I was inspired to start my own dance classes when I went for dance training in Los Angeles for six months. I decided to put a twist to my class by mixing fitness, dance and self-motivation techniques to make it interesting for women who want to have fun, feel good and get fit. By doing it in heels, you work your body harder and the added bonus is feeling sexy.
How long have you been running Rocking ‘N Heels and what challenges have you faced as a creative entrepreneur?
I set up my new dance workout concept in 2013, so Rocking ‘N Heels will be celebrating its second birthday in August. In terms of challenges, the two main ones were location and resources. I’ve moved the Johannesburg class from Rosebank to Sandton to make sure it’s optimally located. However, the distance some people travel for classes and the dreaded load-shedding have been occasional challenges. I think every entrepreneur faces this challenge: I’m the only one running this business and there’s a limited number of classes I can run. But, to eliminate challenges, I’m taking the concept nationally and franchising it, starting with Pretoria. I ran great classes in Durban and Botswana and have been training carefully selected dancers to teach other classes.
How did you succeed at turning your passion to making an income?
I’m one of the lucky ones as work isn’t really work for me because I love what I do so much. I’m driven by wanting to be the best I can be, so I came up with a great concept that fulfilled me but at the same time I can pay my bills. I’m also very active on social media, keep in regular contact with my ladies and constantly focus on improving the business.
What are you passionate about?
I’m very passionate about choreography and performing; creating unique movements to go with a song gives me butterflies each time. The other thing is people; seeing my ladies grow their confidence and fitness through class is inspiring.
Growing up, what did you want to be?
Growing up I always wanted to be a dancer and I used to copy the dance moves on music videos or commercials. However, if I wasn’t a dancer I would have loved to have been a surgeon.
What is your biggest achievement?
I feel like I’ve done so much in a short time, however the highlight has been choreographing the Woolworths Re: Jeans commercial, featuring Victoria Secret model Candice Swanepoel. Woolworths approached me because they loved my Rocking In Heels concept and thought it would work well for the idea they had for the commercial.
What has been your worst moment in life?
My worst moment was losing my dad in 2011 as he was my mentor, best friend and an inspiring father. He taught me to live each moment of my life to the fullest. I’ve taken so much of his guidance into my career.
What practical advice do you have for aspiring dancers?
My advice would be if you are passionate about dancing, keep working at it and don’t quit. But if you are not passionate about it then don’t do it. It’s a tough industry, so practice as much as you can and don’t stop training your body or studying. Look at international style and trends and keep going to classes because there’s no such thing as enough training.
What else do you plan to do in the media industry?
My main focus is dance, choreography and building my Rocking ‘N Heels business. However, I’m open to anything. I love being in front of the camera so I could possibly do presenting if the right opportunity came up. Anything with a focus on female empowerment gets me excited because I love empowering women and helping them to embrace their beauty. In the meantime, watch out for my dance DVD that will be available this year for those of you who can’t make it to some of my classes.
