Dance Queen Kaffy: “I Gave Up Finishing My Degree Programme”

Kaffy is not a new face any longer, she has appeared in the most famous music dance videos and she is even recognized world wide.

Kafayat Shafau Ameh aka ‘Kaffy’ opened up to Weekend Magazine on her career, married life, motherhood and her upcoming world tour.

Red excerpts below: –

WM:? How exciting was your early life?

Kaffy: I schooled in Nigeria and when I was a kid I travelled a lot and I practically grew up in England, Canada, New Delhi and Egypt. I came back to Nigeria as a young adult to complete secondary school then I went to Yaba Tech for a while. And here we are today.

WM: How did your career as a dancer begin?
Kaffy: It was just a hobby and people would comment that I could dance very well and all that. I was always dancing because I was very active as a kid. I engaged in ballet classes, sports activities and so on. I continued dancing into adulthood. Then I used to go to the National Stadium during weekends for dance, work-outs and I think that was where dancing as a career really began for me.

I was dancing at a basketball court after a game one day and someone saw me there and took
me to an event to perform onstage and a lot of the artistes we have in the industry were there. It was after that I was approached by Adewale Ayuba, Ruggedman and I appeared in their videos. Before I knew it, I was going for shows. It wasn’t as if I had it in mind to be a dancer, no. It happened by chance.

WM: How long did it take you to break into the entertainment industry properly?

Kaffy: My first deal happened in 2002 and in a month I was already doing videos and shows professionally. An MTN dance show was going on then and someone who saw me on a video told them that I was worth being one of their choreographers. When they approached me, I never had a packaged video to show to them but I assured them that I knew what I could offer. They gave me their trust and I was awarded the contract to be their choreographer. In other words, I landed that major contract in more than two months of having danced professionally. I can say I danced my way to fame and fortune.

WM: How easy was it for you to sell your chosen career to your parents?

Kaffy: I would use the slang ‘impossicant’ (laughter). It was not easy at all, especially since I come from a conservative home. We hardly went out. I was the adventurous one in the family so I participated in a lot of sports activities and this made my parents decide to come and watch whatever I was participating in. looking at my educational background and being an A student, I never thought I would decide to take dancing professionally. To them dancing was what I did as a hobby at home. In life, I guess, if you are good at something, then you should make it a career.
Actually, my parents asked if I was alright when I decided that dance was what I wanted as a career. It took a while for my parents to understand that anything respectful could come out of it. They were afraid of the kind of security that career would provide me. There was nobody to use as an example in the country back then to explain to them that dance could actually be something positive. Back then there was nothing to give people that confidence that dance was a career that could be involved with a lot of positivity in the society. Not until when we go to places together with my mum and people stop to tell me that I inspire them, that they began to accept it. It was gradual but they finally accepted my career choice in the end.

WM: If you weren’t a professional dancer, what would you have been?

Kaffy: I would have been into the wellness and health services or I would have been an Engineer.

WM: You have a Guinness Book of Records feat to boast of. Can you tell us about that?

Kaffy: It was not by my power but the power of God. An opportunity like that came and He gave me the ability to execute and achieve it. I was looking for an opportunity to be someone to prove to my parents and God gave me the opportunity and I took it. It was never planned or rehearsed for. I danced for about 54 hours, but the official record time was 53 hours and 43 minutes.

WM: How have you handled criticism?

Kaffy: Criticism is inevitable in a career like ours. But I know I am not doing anything immoral or nasty. I do not do drugs, smoke or drink. I might have been naïve in the business angle of the career but then my focus was on youth development. It is not easy but I have decided that whatever I do in life, I should be able to give back to the society.

WM: How are you handling motherhood?

Kaffy: It has given me joy that I cannot explain. No matter how much money I make, coming home to my kids is the most important thing for me. I’m preparing for a tour right now, seven states in America, no nanny, two kids all by myself. People keep asking me how I’m going to do it and I keep telling them that I gave birth to them so I can handle them. My husband is always touring with P. Square, as you know, and there’s no way I can leave him with two kids.

WM: Do we see you choreographing for foreign artistes soon? Are you working towards that?

Kaffy: I don’t need to work towards that. They will search and find me. I’m not being full of myself but I’ve hardly been that kind of person to ask someone to work for him/her. Everything I have done has been orchestrated by God. It’s not that I do not desire it, but I know the right way around it will come. I have choreographed for international artistes like Brandy, Kelly Rowland and Eve, but here in Nigeria.

WM: You still dance even when pregnant. How do you do that?

Kaffy: I try to make a statement with that because African culture has a way of undermining pregnant women. Sometimes it gives some business organisations an opportunity to sack pregnant staff. My dancing while pregnant was a statement to that cause. Pregnancy is not a disease, it is just a stage of life. I get back in shape after pregnancy because I am always in shape, though it was not easy for me because all my children have been through caesarean sections.

WM: What have you had to give up for fame?

Kaffy: I had to give up finishing my degree programme. That did not mean I stopped getting education because I was taking online courses. It was not as if I was not intelligent to go on with my studies but I had to let it go to focus on my career. The education in I had at that moment was enough to pull me through my career choice at that point in my life.

WM: Would you let your children follow your steps, career-wise?

Kaffy: Being interested in dance or even doing it professionally does not stop them from being doctors or lawyers. My kids are free to choose any career, but music and arts sure add to the fun.

WM: What’s the most memorable moment in your career?

Kaffy: The day I became the world record holder for dance, when people walk up to me and tell me I inspire them, the birth of my kids and the day I married my husband were cherishing moments for me.