Kafayat Shafau, well known as Kaffy, has discussed the challenges of pursuing a dancing profession.
During an interview with Punch, Kaffy expressed her struggle with the lack of acknowledgment for dance as a vocation.
She claimed that she received some initial support but was isolated and lost the support of friends and family owing to their suspicions.
“Taking on a career without any gender focus is already tough,” she said.
“As a dancer, the only place we were appreciated was when we were displaying for the National Troupe.
“Or when we were called by a governor for a national assignment.
“Dancing was not a mainstream career, neither was it commercially viable.
“Breaking into that door that did not exist was the main sacrifice for me, as well as the pain of losing family friends and people around me.
“I was practically isolated.
“There were people who initially supported me, but withdrew their support because they did not see what I was seeing.”
Kaffy has had an excellent career as a dancer.
In 2006, she led a dancing troupe that broke the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest dance party.
In January 2024, she shared that she started dancing to better her mental health.
