Dream Catchers Dance Academy: Dare to Dream
“We are not chasing any dream; it is possible to chase a dream and not catch it. What I see is that there is a dream we have, and the goal is to actually catch it and make so many things come true,” says Seyi Oluyole, founder of Dream Catchers Dance Academy.
Dream Catchers Dance Academy is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 to educate street children especially those from low-income families. The academy offers educational opportunities and leadership skills. The Dream Catchers Dance Academy impacts the lives of the students through dance, drama, music and visual arts.
Dance is more than exploring the different ways of reshaping or learning series of steps to music; it is a way of using the body as an instrument of expression and communication. Through dance, students learn teamwork, focus, and improvisational skills. Dance awakens new perceptions in children which helps them learn and think in new creative ways.
Seyi Oluyole, is a choreographer and scriptwriter in Lagos, Nigeria, recognized the need to help children live better lives by taking them off the street whilst planning an event at her church and decided to start a dance group in order to positively impact the lives of the less privileged children.
At inception, the Dream Catchers Dance Group was made up of 10 children. The academy is a subsidiary of the Dream Nurture Foundation, a foundation that provides educational opportunities for children and young adults. The Academy operated in an informal capacity for eight years before Seyi left to continue her university education, but she would continue practicing with the children during her holidays. However, in 2012, Seyi left for the United States in hopes of pursuing her master’s degree. Two years later, she returned to Nigeria and eventually started the dance classes again in a more formal way. Twenty kids came to the first class, and that was the beginning of the Dream Catchers Group.
The big break came for the team when their dance to a popular song by Nigerian disc jockey and singer DJ Spinall and Wizkid titled “Nowo” became a hit as American celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Sean Diddy and Combs shared the video on their various social media platforms. Rihanna also shared the video to celebrate her success in crossing two billion worldwide streams on Apple Music.
Read Also: JANET JUMBO: FROM LAGOS TO LOUIS VUITTON
Seyi and her team of young talents have been nominated for a couple of awards including the Best Creative Social Enterprise Award via African Creative Exhibition and Awards.
In a recent post on social media, Seyi revealed that she is currently building a free educational and performing arts academy for girls. The sum of N38 million is needed to build and furnish the academy, N4 million has been raised so far.
“I started something very huge and scary. I have been unsure of how to share but here it is. I am building a free educational and performing arts academy for girls through @dreamcatchersDA. We broke ground already and have started building. But we need support to keep going.”
The organization largely depends on donations from individuals, family, friends as well as money made from streaming/buying their music on music platforms.
To donate, kindly use: 0122685406, Dream Nurture Foundation, Wema bank.
The Dream Catchers Academy is an organization founded out of empathy and its impact on lives is highly inspiring.