If life is getting me down, I dance because it uplifts me

VIWE NDONGENI-NTLEBI

UK-based dance and fitness advocate Nkateko “Takkies” Dinwiddy motivates women to love their bodies

DANCE has been part of the DNA of South Africans for centuries.

Over the years, SA dancers, choreographers and dance enthusiasts have made waves internationally.

Nkateko Dinwiddy, known as Takkies, a choreographer, digital content creator and women’s wellness advocate continues to fly the South African flag high. She spends most of her days inspiring, motivating women to love their bodies and stay fit though dance and excersise.

She says her first love is dance and has been from the moment she could walk. She was introduced to dancing when young as it formed part of growing up in a musical household.

“My late father was a music industry mogul and my mom loved being involved in choirs as well as dancing a lot when she was younger. I started professional training at nine and I’ve never looked back. Fast forward to today, dance is still a core part of my life. It’s the base for all my activities and you’ll find a strong dance influence in my content creation, focus on fitness or my weekly dance classes. I am dance and dance is me.”

The mother of three does a variety of forms of exercise including gym work and home workouts. However, the core of her fitness comes from dancing.

“It’s given me flexibility, strength and cardio and has a positive impact on all areas of my body. For me it’s a form of expression and the freedom of movement brings me so much joy. If life is getting me down, I dance because it uplifts me.

“It's a great way to stay physically fit and healthy, especially if you find gyms a bit boring. Mentally, it can be so powerful in improving your mood and I’d encourage everyone to put on a track they enjoy and have a little dance everyday. It doesn’t need to be complicated and you’ll always feel better afterwards.”

She recently moved to London with her family and admits the move came with its fair share of challenges. “(It is) quite daunting to start with. My husband is British which has helped a lot. However, packing up everything in Johannesburg in 2019 and leaving home was both exciting and emotionally tough.

“I’d always wanted to live in another country so when the opportunity came up I didn’t think too long. At the same time South Africa is my home and it’s such a big part of who I am. I lived there my whole life and built my career there. So coming to London was basically starting from fresh which is both cool and scary at the same time.”

NKATEKO Dinwiddy, commonly known as Takkies, is a choreographer, digital content creator and women’s wellness advocate. | KISTPHOTOGRAPHY

While there, she says she still runs, does heels dance workout classes and started Amapiano dance classes in London at Base studios.

“I absolutely love amapiano. The original plan was to open a class in London within a few months of arriving which didn’t happen, so when the UK covid restrictions lifted I immediately started my Amapiano class. I decided to bring amapiano to London because it’s a taste of home, it’s fresh and an epic movement. My classes have brought together a diverse group with the majority of people from across Africa and it’s becoming a real community.”

While many South Africans use dance as a form of expression and art, the industry can lead to many people hanging up their dance shoes prematurely.

“One of the biggest challenges I saw time after time in South Africa was that the pay is often low and the hours long. Sometimes production companies and artists have a tiny budget for dancers so you might look at a music video and think it’s cool to be involved, the reality is that the dancers have probably worked very long hours for small money. And if you don’t take the gig, someone else will. I still hear of artists being asked to dance for free because it’s ‘good for their brand’, which is exploitation. Covid has had a massive impact on the industry as a whole and there were no live performances so it’s been hard for dancers and performers.”

Dinwiddy is also an entrepreneur who started Solani Body, a gym accessory line and a wellness platform to help women of all ages and fitness levels to move and to nourish their bodies.

“It’s actually inspired by my Mom whose name is Solani, which means adornment. The business concept was born during lock down in 2020.”

The goal for Dinwiddy is to build a community and create a safe space for women to learn how to love their body through movement wherever they are.

Her message: “Don’t forget to love your beautiful body. Be kind to yourself and others. Don’t compare yourself to anyone, we are all on our own unique journeys. Nourish and move your body everyday. Celebrate yourself and others. You’ve got this.”

DINWIDDY says dancing is a full-body workout. | KISTPHOTOGRAPHY