In this episode I sit down with a fantastic Hip Hop dancer who I now call a friend. In this mind expanding conversation, we talk about the mindset behind being an intense performer, philosophy and relating to others. This was a good time, no alcohol required.
Bio
My name is Kimberly ‘Kim Mkhush’ Mkhushulwa and I am a 27 year old dancer and performer.
I matriculated at St Mary’s and graduated at Rhodes University in 2017.
I have been a performer since I was even in Primary School. I grew up in an environment with children from diverse schools and backgrounds, and we used to dance and perform for fun. When I got to High School I made and grew up with friends from Artistic schools such as The National School it the Arts (NSA), on top of having studied Drama at my own school. Luckily for me, even though I went to a private school, I also took the bus. This enabled me to make friends that danced hip hop at their various schools. Through this, I was introduced to Dance Crews and the Hip Hop Culture whilst being introduced to Physical Theatre in high school. I learnt a lot of the technical aspects of dance and physical expression (with practicals) whilst having learnt the skills involved in Hip Hop Dance, such as pop & lock which I enjoyed most.
I then ended up auditioning for a dance crew in grade 9 because I had friends on the bus that would always talk about being in a dance crew and all the events they had been a part of. This intrigued me so I decided to try it out. Once I had made it, I had to learn how to dance like the other male dancers in the crew ‘Eclipse’ because our form of dance required everyone to dress and dance identically at the various dance competitions and events we performed at. I was the only female on the crew at that time. This is how I learnt how to pop properly and even though it took hours and hours of practice, I eventually got it thanks to the support of my other crew members.
While this was happening, I was part of the newly formed St Mary’s Dance Crew which my Drama teacher had started. She introduced us to Physical Theatre and that was when I learnt not only how to Pop & Lock, but how to be expressive at the same time. These two worlds earned me my colors in Dance and further motivated me to take Drama as one of my majors in university. I knew that Rhodes Drama Department had a strong Physical Theatre culture and was drawn to it. I also played roles in various Drama Acting and choreography pieces, including The National Arts Festival, which was quite an accomplishment since it was my 1st Year of university.
I then showcased my talent when I became Entertainment Rep for my Residence and that is when my choreography career took off. I started being asked to choreograph and perform at various events at the University for different student life and student society events to name a few.
Once I had graduated, I started working for a childhood friend who had started his own Talent Agency. I choreographed and performed for some of his projects, including the Joburg Carnival, and became an Artistic Manager the agency.
I then started working in corporate but have been dancing on the side.
The NJ Podcast
The NJ Podcast is a podcast hosted by Njabulo James with the aim of sharing stories, tips and insights about achieving success while having fun. From topics ranging from personal development, to business, entertainment and sports the podcast will have conversations with experts in their fields. The Podcast will also share insights from Njabulo James’ published and upcoming books. Remember, “success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal.”
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