Meet Kyrah Gradford | Professional Dancer & Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyrah Gradford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyrah, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
Success is such a broad topic. The most general or “popular” idea we have of success is being in the limelight of everyone’s favorite people and thats how we find our “fame”. But everyone’s goal isn’t to be famous. Until we sit down and identify success on our own terms, that is when it becomes more of a narrow topic. As of lately, I have chosen to identify success as being able to complete any goal that I have set for myself. Whether that goal is big or small, I still achieved what I put my mind to. The goal may be different day to day, or I can work towards the same one everyday. My ultimate success is freedom and happiness, so I am currently figuring out what steps I need to take in order to make that happen.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
This is probably my favorite story to tell. My story starts off like a typical dancer as we know it. I started dancing at the age of 3, for about 6 years. After an injury in a particular class, I took so much time off of technical dance training and did small things within school programs to keep me active. During high school, I realized that I wanted to feel the thrill of being a performer all over again so I re-applied myself to study technical dance training at the age of 17 when I started college. The “meat and potatoes” of my technical training comes from my college experience, while I was only a studio kid for about 7 years, I have always been a dancer and performer since birth. What I am both most proud and excited about is that my persistence to get back into performing because of the way it made me feel. I missed the rush and the connection to the music that I am still uncovering every single day of my practice. For the longest I didn’t consider myself a “professional” dancer/performer because I didn’t have any credentials to my name (which takes me back to the beginning question about mainstream success), but then realizing that I AM a professional dancer because I went to college and graduated knowing different styles and the history behind the different styles of dance. My mindset became professional before my experiences became professional. That is the number 1 thing I am most proud of. I stand here today with multiple teaching opportunities and experiences. I got where I am today by the push of one very specific person who I mentioned in my shoutout section, Tracy Halloran, that provided me with my first dance company experience. After Tracy, Della Hamby became a saving grace in teaching my first ways of the commercial dance industry. Taking many classes outside of my comfort zone, while still being able to hone in on basics is what continually drives me to continue. The process is NEVER easy, but I overcome the challenges by acknowledging my feelings, and knowing that everything doesn’t 100% go as planned in YOUR book, but in God’s book, challenges are always able to overcome. That was the biggest challenge in my life so far that has also been my biggest lesson. My hopes are that my story is able to register with someone that even if it looks easy, it isn’t. Everyone has their challenges, but how to do you recover and move forward is what will set you apart from where you used to be and where you are heading. Mindset is the most powerful tool.

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?
I am a Detroit based artist currently, so if a friend was visiting I would take them to all of our most popular places. I would mostly want to eat at home since my cooking skills are top tier for home life. Outside life, our downtown Detroit area is always a good time where multiple activities can take place. There are many sports bars, restaurants and outside activities to take part in. Concerts and sports events are normally happening at our beautiful Little Caesar’s Arena. Depending on the time of year and season, we have outside skating rinks during the summer and a beautiful outside ice skating rink during the winter. My suggestions will always be based on what my friend’s interests are and then make a decision based on our common likes.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
WHEW! So first and foremost I have to thank God. My faith has been tested so many times within this past year due to the pandemic, He was the first person that I turned to at the end of each day. I say this because he has provided the foundation of my life in the form of a person who has always had my back; which leads me to next thanking my mother. The moment I told her I wanted to go to college to pursue dance, her face lit up. At this age that I am now, I am finally able to realize that the reason she pushes me so hard to continue is because she herself was a dancer and was never given the correct opportunities or support to keep going. The way I want to pay my mom back everything she deserves is why I am so hard on myself to get things right and place myself in the correct positions to win. Next, I want to thank my former company director, but always teacher, Tracy Halloran. From day one I stepped into college, she immediately saw my potential before I recognized it myself. She pushed me and pushed me and STILL continues to push me even if I am physically not in a studio room with her. She has lovingly forcefully placed me in rooms that I didn’t know or think I belonged in. Lastly, I want to thank my grandparents for forever believing in me and helping me through school and through life in general. Without their nurturing and financial support, I probably wouldn’t feel as strong as I do today to feel confident enough to pursue what I know I can. There are so many more people that deserve recognition, but they list would be out the door. If anyone who reads this and knows who I am and has helped in any way possible, they know they are loved and appreciated!

Instagram: @kyrah.__

Other: website is underway, so if you would like to follow on Instagram, you can stay updated with me through that platform currently

Image Credits
Shayna OCallaghan, Breeann Birr de Oliveira, Scott Lipiec and Nick Field