Kijana Lewis interprets music with his body in a way very few male local dancers do, his style is liberated, passionate and engaging.
That he is a strong dancer and a serious performer, compliments his ability. Though he is good, there is that sense of what a few more years of commitment and discipline could do for his dancing.
Incidentally he feels the same way. In an interview with The Scene on Thursday, Kijana said he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses as a dancer.
“I know my limitations as well as I know what my strengths are but I am at a place where I am working to improve as a dancer and I have the right people around me,” he said.
The people he is referring to are at the National Dance Company, which has been his second home for the past three years. Kijana is an apprentice at the dance company and hopes to join in full in the not too distant future. He said the company is very encouraging and as a member, he gets the feeling that he going somewhere.
Physically and technically he is learning everyday at the company and more importantly, he does not feel exploited. He rates the experience as second to none, pointing out that he has been afforded the opportunity to represent Guyana at the regional level.
He recalled how well received the company was at Carifesta in Trinidad in 2006 and is looking towards Carifesta 2008 in Guyana later this year. It only takes a few minutes of listening to Kijana to figure out that dancing is a huge part of who he is.
“Dancing is what I do and is what I love. Dancing is an honest expression of how I feel about music and I enjoy getting into character for every performance. It is never about putting on a show for me, it is always real,” he happily confessed.
Kijana has been dancing for about seven years now. He got his start in church at the House of Israel where much of what he did was African-oriented dancing. Then he decided to join the Divine Stars dance school and was able to stamp his mark. Divine Stars was based in Buxton, but Kijana joined up with the Georgetown division.
While at Divine Stars he made two trips to Dance Mania and though the first time around was nothing to write home about, the second time was more than he could have asked for. Kijana won in every category he competed in, which were the Open Male Single, Doubles and the Group. He was also named the most outstanding male dancer that year.
Shortly after his successes, he was forced to leave Divine Stars when the city division closed. Kijana said he was not prepared to travel to Buxton to practice so he quit and joined the New Attitude Dance School under the guidance of dancer/designer Rhonda Dunbar. He made another trip to Dance Mania as part of New Attitude but ended up placing second in the categories he competed in.
At one time, he was also part of Classique Dance Company but noted that it was short-lived and more of an on-and-off arrangement. Finally, he decided that the National Dance Company would be his last stop.
As a male dancer he has brushed off negative comments about men in the industry. He said the stigma is definitely there, but if he had taken any of it seriously he would not be dancing. Kijana noted that the comments are unfair because there are many good male dancers in the county who do what they do for the love of it. According to him, men should be allowed to make the choice and not have to worry about what people will say.
“This is my calling and I have no regrets or no apologies to make. If I worry with people and their negativity, I would not have heeded this call. Dancing is an art and it is beautiful too. If only those who have negative things to say can look at it more open-mindedly,” he stated. Kijana admitted that people have praised his dancing and named him among the best male dancers in the country. How does he feel? He said the praise is good but he still has more to do and accomplish.
Outside of dancing, Kijana is a final-year Public Management University of Guyana student who has hopes of owning his own business. He is also an actor with a few projects under his belt and is currently appearing on a local radio show.
When Digicel announced its arrival in Guyana last February, Kijana was among the faces appearing in the company’s advertising campaign. He said the ad was filmed at Parika and it was an unforgettable experience.
At 25, Kijana still has much more to do but he is pretty pleased with what has been accomplished so far.
(ianaseales@yahoo.com)
