One of the beautiful things about youthfulness is that pains and aches (that come with later life) haven’t kicked in. With all the energy in the world to invest in uninterrupted play, children make the most of their time outdoors, navigating friendships and conflicts with their fellows. As music begins to move them, even from the toddler years, we see a special side of childhood. Expressing this youthfulness at an award-winning level across Europe, Tracy Gathoni is a talented Kenyan dancer living in Germany.
It started in 2012. Tracy had travelled to Glasgow in Scotland to attend the United Dance Organization Championships. It was her first time performing on a stage of such magnitude, but her confidence held. As Tracy popped and locked, her bravery shone through and she saw her performance through to the end. Feelings of anxiety flowed through her mind as her thoughts floated over the sequence of hip-hop dance moves she’d mastered. In the past, when she had been on stage, there were times when she had forgotten her routine. But she’d keep going anyway, making dance moves as she went. With a trophy that was nearly half her size, she walked away fulfilled that day. This was the first milestone in her journey to becoming a renowned hip-hop dancer.
As she continued with her dance journey, she teamed up with her best friend Aliyah, rocking the stage in a way that seems closer to a movie than real life. While they had been friends for a while, the novelty of dancing these complex routines together and travelling all over Europe with her closest friend was something straight out of Tracy’s sweetest daydream. Yet, in a very real way, as Tracy’s skill grew, it became clear to Diana Rose, Tracy’s mother, that she needed to attend a school where she could be further nurtured and trained in her unique talent. She enrolled under Martina Bohm of TopDance Studio and Dance Agency and thus became a part of the dance crew she represented in 2016 at the United Dance Championships. Her talent and energy made her a household name in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Duisburg, the town where she lives, the mayor regularly invited her as a special feature performance at various public town events.
By 2016, viral videos and dance routines that had the audience captivated from start to end established Tracy as a dance powerhouse. The United Dance Championships that year were in Gladbeck, Germany. This allowed Tracy to have the unique opportunity to have both Aliyah and younger brother performing with her. This kind of collaboration is part of what makes Tracy’s performances and style so heartwarming.
Tracy’s dance brilliance inspires us to tap into the childlike attitude of expression without inhibition. The friendliness which this champion radiates draws us back to that playground culture of trust and inclusion.