We had the good fortune of connecting with G. Pilar Lowden, MA DE and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi G. Pilar, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my dance company as a club while a freshman at Wesleyan College in August of 1997. 26 seasons later, we are Hayiya Dance Theatre, Inc. a professional performing arts company and service organization. I loved dance and there was no one teaching West African dance in that area at the time. I had not danced in nearly two years when I started the company. My mother had gotten really ill when I was in high school which required me to quit all extracurricular activities, get two jobs and take care of the household. Starting Hayiya, Inc. (originally Harambee African Tribal Sounds Unlimited) was my chance to return to what I was gifted to do – dance. Hayiya, Inc. now sponsors after-school services including free tutoring, free visual arts and theatre workshops, free STEAM Friday sessions each week, and a free leadership program – INfluence Leadership Institute for students ages 9 years to 18 years.  We also offer reduced-fee piano lessons and summer programming.

I started Hayiya Dance Theatre, Movement Institute and Center for Cultural Arts (my dance studio and performing arts center) as a senior at Wesleyan College on January 17, 2021. I didn’t want to graduate and not have a job so I created one for myself. Rather than return home to start a studio alongside my own teachers or move to Atlanta where there were a host of institutions to compete with, I opened Hayiya where I was, in Macon, GA where there were no other facilities specializing in West African dance and percussion. In addition to providing space for all of the free and reduced offerings sponsored by Hayiya, Inc., our center offers ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, tumbling, line dance, skate dance, step, acting, liturgical, West African dance, West African percussion, contemporary and F8t Fit classes for children and adults.

 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first love is science. My gift is performing arts, specifically dance. I absolutely LOVE to combine the two. My dance classes often explore biology, zoology, Earth sciences, logic, and mathematics. We also delve into history, anthropology, and linguistics. We include mental health and body image in our curriculum. Hayiya is built on holistic, place-based education – this makes our facilities and our curriculum unique. I am proud to offer this type of education for our community. At this moment, I remember the positives of this work more readily than the negatives. However, when I think more deeply, I understand that the joy I receive from this work creates the feeling that what we are doing is easy. However, it isn’t. We have spent many years working very hard, pounding the payment, and working to reach the hearts and minds of our students, parents, and communities. Some classes have excelled while others failed. We have had awesome interactions as well as unpleasant ones. We have received recognition for some of our work while much of it goes unseen. We simply keep moving forward, evaluate what works, eliminate what doesn’t, enlist the help of others, and continue to hone our own skills. I want the world to know that Hayiya means “Dance With Joy”. Whether that means your feet dancing on the floor, your pen dancing on the page, your fingers dancing on the keys, or the brilliant thoughts dancing in your head, we believe that everyone should dance with joy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Friday Night – Macon scavenger hunt
– Canoeing with Ocmulgee Outdoor Expeditions
– Catching a play at Theatre Macon
– Live Music in Downtown, Macon
– Food…Anywhere Downtown 🙂

Saturday
– Sip and Paint with Blame My Canvas
– Brunch at Oliver Corner Bistro
– Heel or Fitness dance class with Princess Davis
– Recovery Massage at Georgia Manual Therapy
– Bowling, Laser, and Skating at Rigby’s
– Gracie’s for a concert and rooftop dinner

Sunday
– Early online service with Jabez Ministries and Pastor Tony Lowden
– Brunch at Vibez
– Family fun and fresh air walking and biking at Amerson River Park

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
God gifted me with THE best and most supportive mother ever. Though she passed on to ancestry many years ago, my mother Orlando C. Wilder remains the most profound contributor to my success second only to God. Tony Lowden, Christopher Graddick, Princess Davis, Kierra Brown, LaTasha Balthrop-Bland, Cheryl Woolfolk, Baba Raamieh El, Aima Bey and Earlene “Dab” Wallace Appling are just a few of the names that I could mention that have supported my efforts with their time, talents, space, advice, love, financial support and more. Dr. Julia Daniely, Ferneasa Cutno, Waverly Lucas, Nina Gilreath, Cleo Park Robinson loom large as my mentors. These folks have supported me and helped pave the way for excellence and success in my life and the lives of countless families in Middle Georgia.

Website: www.hayiyadancetheatre.com

Instagram: @hayiyadance

Twitter: @hayiyadance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HayiyaDanceTheatre

Youtube: @HayiyaDanceTheatre

Other: PLEASE GIVE PHOTO CREDIT ON MY UPLOADED PHOTO TO MATTHEW ODOM

Image Credits
Matthew Odom, Darrell Moye, Michael Martin

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