Meet Makeda Cyrus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Makeda Cyrus.

Makeda Cyrus, also known as “Keda,” was born in Brooklyn, NY. She is from the beautiful island of St. Vincent & the Grenadines and is the first generation of her family born in the United States. Makeda’s interest in dance started at the age of six where she trained in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap. At a young age, she enjoyed Caribbean basement parties with her family and quickly embodied her culture.

Makeda spent the remainder of her childhood in South Florida. Her educational studies focused on Science and Engineering while dancing was an after-school activity. Makeda has always been a natural born leader. In High School, she graduated 6th in her class, was the Secretary of SGA and captain of her High School Step Team “The Ladies of Intrigue.”

While majoring in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech, Makeda was a leader of various organizations on campus including Vice President and Step Master of the Xi Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., President of Caribbean Students Association, Student Ambassador, ANAK Secret Society and captain of Georgia Tech’s Goldrush Dance Team. With Makeda’s student involvement and leadership on campus, she was voted, by her peers and faculty, as Ms. Georgia Tech 2010.

Upon graduating from Georgia Tech with her BS in Civil Engineering, Makeda worked as a Product Support Operations Rep, for Caterpillar Inc., in Peoria, IL and eventually was assigned to her “dream” location (i.e., Los Angeles) and from that moment her life changed. After working in the corporate world, for almost four years, Makeda realized that she wasn’t happy and was simply going through the motions.

Although she “had it all” (i.e., company car, traveling the world, financial stability) something wasn’t right in her spirit, so she decided to reflect on the last time she remembered being happy and that was On Stage! Praying for signs along the way, Makeda was in business attire during the day and sweaty dance clothes at night. With her insane commitment to training, she was offered a work-study position at Debbie Reynolds Studio where she was able to train in various styles of dance and build relationships with legendary choreographers in the dance industry.

After a year of many early mornings and late nights, Makeda decided to take a leap of faith and leave her corporate job to pursue a career as a Professional Dancer. Since then, Makeda has performed with Beyoncé at Coachella, on television at the BET Awards, American Music Awards, NBC’s The Voice, NBC’s World of Dance (Season 1), Nickelodeon’s Game Shakers & recently Netflix’s Family Reunion. She’s also graced the stage with major artists including Janelle Monae, LL Cool J, Pharrell and many more.

On her quest of new living, Makeda has quickly recognized her passion for acting. She is currently auditing acting classes and recently signed to International Idols Agency for commercial, theatrical and print representation. Ultimately, Makeda’s journey is one of light, love, connecting with people and supporting their dreams. This story is her story of reconnecting with her light and redefining her purpose in this world.

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?
Deciding to leave my corporate job at the age of 26, to dance professionally, I faced many obstacles. Initially, I didn’t receive support from my family and peers, which at times made me second guess what God was telling me in my heart. I realized I had to temporarily go on this journey alone so that I could never regret not trying.

With time, they’ve become my biggest cheerleaders. Another obstacle I faced was with training. Starting at a later age than most dancers, I constantly felt like I was behind. Training in classes with dancers that have been preparing all of their lives, at times I felt like I was playing catch up or that I was at a disadvantage to achieving my goals.

Thankfully, I was surrounded by a few peers that had a similar journey as I did and with time I realized it was all in my head and I was blocking myself. I decided to put my engineering skills to use and created a customized training plan based on the artists I wanted to work.

With persistence and determination, I signed with the biggest dance agency in the world Bloc Talent Agency, with their help I was able to elevate my opportunities and three years after I left Caterpillar I got to work with my dream artist Beyoncé.

Although I’ve worked with many artists and have had some great experiences, as with any career, once you elevate there are new challenges. But with any challenge comes growth. Everyday I am embarking on a new journey of adjusting to a new industry all while connecting with my individual purpose.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Makeda is known for motivating others to break barriers and go for whatever it is they desire regardless of the circumstances. She is spiritually led and constantly refining who she is as a person. She is very well spoken, confident and brings great energy with her everywhere she goes.

In dance, Makeda specializes in Stepping and Hip Hop. She also enjoys dancehall and heels. It does not stop at dancing for Makeda, she is a trained commercial actor and at the start of her acting career. Outside of her talents, Makeda is looking forward to continue to connect with her purpose and deliver greatness to her community while inspiring others to do the same.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My luck has lead me on a journey of knowledge. I now believe that everything happens for a reason. My job at Caterpillar could have sent me to five other cities, but it was destined for me to come to LA because God knew I needed to be surrounded by other passionate people to recognize it was time for my next chapter of living. Destiny and faith have guided me to where I am now.

When I once thought it was “bad luck” to start my dancing career at 26 instead of 18, I now realize that it was all intentional. My engineering, corporate and leadership experiences are actually a crucial part of my dance and now acting career. So now my destiny has allowed me to realize that I am always being led and has challenged me to sometimes take a step back, keep my eyes and ears open and listen for God’s direction towards my purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.makedacyrus.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keda_baby/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakedaKedaCyrus/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kEdA_bAbY
• Other: http://la.blocagency.com/talent/dance/keda-cyrus

Image Credit:
Getty Images, Kendra Oyesayna, Wes Klain

Getting in touch: VoyageLA 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.