Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayah Alexandra Franklin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kayah Alexandra. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
While I’m currently known as a performing artist in the DFW metroplex, I began dancing relatively late – starting formal training going into my senior year of high school after I’d joined my high school’s dance team.
All I knew was that it was going to be my first time in Washington, D.C., let alone the first time in a long while that I’d gotten to see my dad. He’d used the opportunity to attend a dance intensive in the district as a “loving bribe” to allow my mom to let me come across the country for a good chunk of the summer.
Those few weeks of ballet, modern and jazz hit me over the head – far from the technical level the girls my age were, but I loved it. During my stay in D.C., my dad took me to tour a handful of colleges, and I found my number one pick and eventual alma mater, Howard University.
I was accepted at Howard University and their dance major program (yes, they were separate letters!) and there spent four of the most challenging, progressive and life-changing years of my life (so far). It was at Howard that I was exposed to several national and international dance companies – Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) stole my heart from the jump.
I spent two summers interning administratively with DBDT and upon graduating from Howard, was accepted into DBDT II, now known as DBDT: Encore! – a second company to DBDT that expanded my performance experience and honed in on my continuous training while simultaneously serving as Outreach Lead Teacher for Dallas Black Dance Academy. I joined the main company in 2014. I’ve performed in local shows (Dallas Theater Center’s FLY: The Musical) and continue to teach dance, as well as group fitness throughout the metroplex (Equinox).
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road hasn’t been smooth – but what kind of journey would it be if it were?
My mother passed away in Oakland, California just a couple weeks prior to my college graduation. While some people have coined these types of tragedies as a “loss,” my mother has always been my key access point to motivation. Although I no longer had my best friend in the physical world, all that I do is in celebration and thanks to her and is a constant journey to match and exceed her success.
I always suggest to women, particularly young women, that is an absolute necessity to identify what it is that you love to do, and submerge yourself into it completely. AThe requirement to have a “Plan B” when it comes to pursuing passion as a career is a myth – follow your dream, fall on your face, experience tragedy and KEEP GOING.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m in my 5th season as a dancer with Dallas Black Dance Theatre – I work as a full-time dancer, and also teach Ballet, Modern, Jazz and West African.
I’m a group fitness professional, specializing in Barre techniques currently at Equinox.
I’m a spoken word artist, most commonly seen at Heroes Lounge’s open mic and Black Canvas in Dallas.
In addition to my dance/fitness background, I absolutely LOVE curating and hosting events that allow my worlds to collide. To date, I’ve hosted the following:
July 2018
“Good Intentions: A Mind + Body Brunch” that offered:
_ A Stretch N’ Tone class taught by myself
_A Vegan Brunch Buffet
_ open mic for poets, musicians, and singers
November 2018
“The Wine’D Down”
– group meditation circled led by myself
– specialty wine bar
– open mic for poets, musicians, and singers
CURRENT:
“Dauntless: Bold. Black. Woman.”
– a docuseries documenting the stories of professional women of color in Dallas
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Study the advanced professionals in your career – not to replicate their path, but to have a wider scope in understanding the field and what success looks like in it.
Expose yourself to your colleagues work – study your peers!
Be unapologetic – we are constantly growing, learning and sharpening our skills. Never let anyone feel like you’re “doing too much.”
Contact Info:
- Email: kayahalexandra@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kayahalexandra
Image Credit:
Kory Williams, Xavier Mack, Sharen Bradford, BlackSpadez Media
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
