Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyla Collins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
So I grew up on the South side of Chicago but since I was a kid dance had me all over the city from performing at birthday parties, churches, weddings, schools, community centers, block parties, etc. This was when I was grammar school in my school’s theater program and I used to impersonate tribute artists like Donna Summers, beyonce, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, the Jackson 5, Janet, and Michael Jackson. My mom ended up signing me up for Jr. Luvabulls and Bullzkids for the Chicago Bulls which all opened doors for more opportunities on bigger stages. Once I seen the potential in myself to actually make this a career I took my training serious since I was self taught and joined the The Diamond Dancers with Jasper Reed where I traded my gym shoes in for a 4 inch stiletto and learned heel etiquette along with control and how to effortlessly form lines on my body in a majorette form of dance which increased my confidence as a woman. In 2016 I went to College at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign got my Bachelor’s and masters in Sports management but I made sure to stay active in dance and make my way back home to perform when needed. After i graduated in 2021, I joined Redd’s Angelz Ent. where I was exposed to a lot more dance genres like footwork, hiphop, contemporary, jazz, African, and more. They became like a second family as we shared the stage with each other and so many well known artists at Big events like Sonta, Kanye West at venues like Soldier Field, Big Jam at the United Center, Lollapalooza and my first partial tour. From 2022 , Until March of this year I had been working a full time job as a Game Presentation Coordinator for the Chicago White Sox while balancing dance and my new journey as a stunt woman/double on television series like The Chi, Chicago P.D., Power, and Beauty in Black. I have no clue how I did all of this especially because the schedules used to clash which would force me to choose based on the given circumstances. All I can say is Thank you to God because it all worked out even when I had to “quit” my job because they didn’t accept my vacation days because I got chose to perform in LA at Coachella with Tink after doing a self tape audition for her headlining Chicago show. Since then I decided to move to LA and pursue a real dance career and focus on my training to see how far I can really go trusting God through this process And I ended up being Tink’s dancer on my first full tour this past July for Keyshia Cole “The Way It Is” tour. So here I am working while I wait for what’s next to come because I know everything happens for a reason and I’m ready.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Family issues, leaving home, quitting my job, imposter syndrome/self doubt
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I went into detail about my dance career previously but I feel like overall I’m different because of how hungry I am to just be great at what I do. I know that this is a gift of God and I’m literally doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing right now. He’s guiding my every step.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
That I’m actually an introvert lol. Dont get me wrong, I’m a people person and I can command a room if needed but I really like to chill behind the scenes and observe. I even get a little social anxiety but I can make it look good. But when I get on stage that’s a whole other ball game. It gives Hannah Montana sometimes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkylacheyenne?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kycollins22?_t=ZP-8ywFOFyyuRq&_r=1
Image Credits
@teddspro
@leotheleovisuals
