Campus Celebrity: Kantinka (Kay) Kyeremateng

Name: Kantinka (Kay) Kyeremateng
Year: Sophomore
Major: Accounting
 
How long have you been dancing?
I have been dancing since I was kid but I really got into “real” dancing freshman year of high school in Ghana, so about 6-7 years.
 
What type of dancing do you do?
Hip hop and African dance.
 
What’s your favorite move to do?
Footwork has always been my favorite move but I’m beginning to like the “dougie” now since that’s what everyone seems to do/like around here and it’s easy and fun to do.
 
What’s the most difficult move you’ve learned?
“The harder you try, the easier it is.” I always keep this in mind whenever I practice and it makes every move easier. So I really don’t think there’s a difficult move in dancing— at least in my opinion.
 
In what ways are you involved with dance at UNI?
I taught a hip hop dance class for two semesters at the WRC. Also, I have a small dance group on campus called “Rhythm In Effect,” which is just me and two other girls (Sara Cahill and Kelsey Millet). This is a group that was formed just this past fall semester so we are still on the lookout for more talented students/dancers to join the group.
 
Do you do a lot of performing?
I do a lot of performing on and off campus and usually with my dance crew if I can. We perform at talent shows and other competitions if the need comes. Our recent performance was at the halftime show at the UNI’s Men’s Basketball game vs. Illinois State.
 
What’s your favorite thing about performing?
My favorite thing about performing is doing something funny in my performance that the crowd enjoys and/or dancing to a song the crowd likes. I usually hear them sing along while I dance and it just makes me giggle.
 
Are there any professional dancers that inspire you?
I get a lot of inspiration from a lot of good dancers around the world, but I get most inspiration from Phillip “Pacman” Chbeeb and three of my favorite dance crews— Jabbawockeez, Quick Style and Quest Crew.
 
What are your future career goals and your dream job?
I am hoping to be an accountant in the future, but my biggest dream is to have a big and if possible the most popular dance school, in my country (Ghana) or Africa. There are a lot of kids with talents in Ghana/Africa who do not get the chance to exhibit them and most of these kids do not go to school either due to financial problems and whatnot. My goal is to get these kids into my “dance school” and make them better dancers— better enough to compete around the world.
 
I believe doing this will help a lot of kids, especially those who think they have no hope in life, get out of the streets and give them a reason to live a good life. Not everyone will be successful from going to college/earning a degree, and if for some reason they can’t afford to go to school, then I’m sure God has something special planned for them. That’s why everyone has their own special talent. I am blessed to be in college, and more importantly the United States, where there are a lot of opportunities for a better future. If I am blessed with all these then it just serves me right to help others that aren’t too lucky like I am— I believe I can do this.
 
Finally, I would like to give a last call to my dad who passed away six months ago. At first when I danced, I didn’t really have any reason to why I was dancing. I just danced for me— my dad who never got to see me perform; he only got to hear about it. He once told me to make a video of all my performances and send it to him in Ghana but I never got to it. I feel terrible not being able to make the video on time but I know now he can actually see me dance even closer, better, and in a perfect view and not from any electronic device. He is the reason I dance now and because of him I’ll never stop dancing.