Rikkai Scott by Luke Das
Rikkai Scott is an independent dance artist and dance theatre maker, and he also teaches our Hip Hop classes here at DanceEast. We asked Rikkai what his favourite things about his jobs are, how he progressed to where he is now, and what it’s been like to teach classes via Zoom.
Hi Rikkai, introduce yourself!
My name is Rikkai Scott, I am a dance artist, teacher and a theatre maker.
What is your favourite thing about your different jobs?
I get to travel, work with and meet different people from all around the world. I love the fact that I can do whatever I want with dance and most importantly touch the hearts of others within or outside the dance community through my work.
You definitely get to do a wide variety of things! Normally you teach our Hip Hop classes in person at the Jerwood DanceHouse, what has it been like to teach classes via Zoom instead?
Classes via Zoom have been a massive eye opener. What is most important for me with Zoom classes is planning. I have to really research the movement properly and plan accordingly to the student’s abilities. I teach an open class which means I work with all levels.
It must be a different experience entirely. Speaking of experience, how did you progress to where you are now in your career?
I had to have faith, I had to trust the process, be around good energy and aim to be the best I can be for myself. I had to find balance between life and dance as well as finding what works for me and what doesn’t.
Finding balance can be tricky, but you’re right, it’s an important thing to have. What advice do you have for any young dancers who are thinking about becoming a dancer or choreographer professionally?
My advice is that you need to be sure that this is the career that you want to pursue. Take your time, train, work hard, know your worth, have a voice and know that you can do whatever you want with dance without being stopped or judged. Be human first, you don’t need to eat, sleep, or drink dance. Be yourself, be wise, be open, be loved, show love and be professional.
That’s great advice, and a good reminder too. What are you working on at the moment as an independent artist?
I am working on being better than I was the day before, trusting the process and loving what I do. I am the artistic director of a professional Tap Fusion company called BDblaq Dance, and we have recently premiered our short film titled TAPOUT via BDblaq’s YouTube channel and we are working on more film projects for 2020. At the moment we are also preparing for 2021, to train and prepare for residencies for a full length production as well as developing old work that will be on stage for 2021.
Thanks for reading, click here to book your place on Kai’s hip hop class!
