Popular dancer, fitness coach and founder of the Imagneto Dance Company, Kafayat Shafau, aka Kaffy, has bemoaned the low investment in dance in the Nigeria creative industry.
In an interview with The PUNCH, she stated that though dance is now better recognised as an integral part of the creative industry in Nigeria, investments towards its growth is still low.
“The good thing that has happened to dance is that it is now recognised both as a viable business and career. Unlike 10 to 15 years ago when I started, no parent would want to bring their child to dance classes. They did not understand what value it brought to their children, but now they do.
“However, I think one of the main problems it does not look like a very structured ecosystem is because of the way investment is going. Money is invested in movies and music, but not in dance. Dance is still seen as a service provider, rather than a part of the industry. The only question is, are people taking it seriously enough to consider it an ‘investable’ entity? Without investment and capital, dance cannot be sustained.”
She also said that, “Dance is what holds the entertainment industry together. No one would want to go to a concert and watch an artiste stand on a spot; it would be boring.
“In the health sector, dance carries a lot of power too. I use dance as a therapy to treat people with trauma, and even autism. I use it to improve the retentive memory of children.”
