Meet McKaylah Bristow of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to McKaylah Bristow.

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?
Like most dancers, I started dancing at the age of three. I of course, immediately loved it, and I have never seen myself becoming anything other than a dancer when I was growing up. When I was 13, I gained a new interest in choreography. One of my teachers told me that I had a real knack for it, but I didn’t think that it would be something I would want to pursue, because I was so fixated on becoming a dancer. Around the same time, I really started to love making YouTube videos and altering my clothes, even though they turned out to be a disaster and in the trash one year later. Although, those things were fun at the time I again didn’t see myself pursuing that as a career. When I hit college, I started to become more serious about choreographing and thought that it was time for me to start taking jobs that could help build my career. Competition choreography has recently been a big rocket with helping choreographers book choreography jobs and so the only way I thought I could do that was through teaching. Now I never saw myself as a teacher, but I would do anything to not work at TJ Maxx for another day! My first teaching job was at a studio in Kennesaw during the summer. I kind of enjoyed it and I only say kind of because at the time I was in rehearsals dancing from 9 AM to 4 PM and then I’d have to go and teach from like 4 PM to 8 PM. Freshman me thought that it was a good summer job and that teaching throughout the year probably wasn’t the best for me. I had a lot of doubt within myself and didn’t think that I could keep up with lesson planning, building on a student skills for a year, and all the other amazing things that dance teachers do for their students. I spent the whole next year, focusing on choreography and finding dance jobs. I landed my first paid choreographic gig that next summer! I was cleaning out my dorm recently and had just found the check that I got from that. The dancing side at this time wasn’t looking too bright job wise, but I was blessed enough to go to Amsterdam for a dance study abroad trip. I saw NDT and was so inspired by their style of dance. That same summer I decided that I wanted to have a job throughout the year. Truth be told because I am a shopaholic and I loved going out with my friends and the money that I saved during the summer was never enough. I reached out to a lot of studios for work and one out of maybe 15 to 20 responded back to me for basically an interview. Dance and Music Academy was looking for a leaps and turns teacher, so I taught a leap terms class and then I got to talk with the studio owner after. They ended up going a different route, but one of the teachers was pregnant and went on leave so they called me in to be a long-term substitute teacher. I subbed for about three months and I surprised myself! I really enjoyed teaching, was kind of good at it, and when the teacher came back, I was kind of sad. I really just loved the students and the atmosphere that has been created there and I thought I would never teach there again. That year was filled with a lot of rejection from the choreography jobs, teaching jobs, and dancing jobs, which made me even more sad. That whole year I was feeling so unmotivated and kind of worthless. Summer rolled around and at the end of June I went to LA for the BODYTRAFFIC Summer intensive. Truthfully, I did not want to go. Like I said, I was feeling super unmotivated and untalented, and when I saw them perform this spring before at our college, I thought that I would not fit in there. I was convinced to go by my friends at the time and honestly, it was such a great decision. My love for dance was reignited by Martha, Nichols, Juel D lane, Tamisha Guy, and the dancers of the company. I thought that maybe this could be a route for me, maybe even this company. When I got back home that Summer, I got an email from the people at dance and music academy asking me to teach this summer and in their upcoming season! I taught an improv class during the summer which I didn’t know how to approach and I thought and thought for days on how to make it enjoyable because not everybody likes improv and how to make it a learning process and not just we’re improving. That approach I took during the summer is an approach that I still take sometimes in the classes I teach for the same students. That year I taught a recreational contemporary class, and sometimes subbed for a competition contemporary class. At the end of that year, I had gotten a comment from a student that I changed the way that they approached dance. If you know, teenagers and kids, they do not lie! I was so shocked because this was a student that was in the class that I subbed like three times. It made me start to think that maybe this is right for me. Maybe I can be a teacher. I was still doing the choreography thing. I got rejected again a lot that year and it was same with dancing jobs. At this point, I was really struggling with the fact that I know I have the potential and I know that when given a chance, I can make something, do something, or approach something with such a beautiful vulnerability that’s needed in this dance world. All you need is a shot and I wasn’t getting those! We’re now onto my senior year of college. It’s an exciting year because I’m choreographing my senior project that I’ve been thinking about since my sophomore year. I’m on my second year teaching, and my boss asked me to run the DMA Instagram. I’ve brought content creation back into my life and started to get serious. I’ve always loved fashion, but now I feel like I know what my personal style is. I’m doing a lot of things that I want to do except for dancing. This past year, I really had to sit down with myself and God to discuss whether becoming a professional dancer aligns with his plan for me. I truly believe that teaching and choreographing, maybe content creation, is God’s plan for my life. I’m always keeping up with my dancing and wanting to book something. But I don’t want to put myself in a position to where I either lose my job or I am living out of God’s will. Giving up this dream I had since I was three years old wasn’t really hard for me because I trust God and his plan. Right now I’m focusing on building my relationship with him, teaching and choreographing, and creating content for myself and for my studio. I know that there will be some opportunities for me that won’t put my relationship with Him in a compromise position so I’m not worried. I made a choice this past year to classify myself as a multi passionate creative. I’ve denied myself all of the things that I’m passionate for for too long in my opinion and it has been so fun to learn new things like content, creation, and the fashion industry, while also continuing to build on things that I’ve known for a long time like dancing in choreography.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road. I’ve had a lot of struggles, but my main struggle in all areas of what I do has been learning how to give myself credit. I always just want to be better at everything. I’ve always been like that since I’ve been young, but I forget how many things I’ve done how far I’ve come and I don’t look back. You always think of looking back at your life in a negative sense, at least I have, but you should look back at your life and the choices you’ve made whether they have been bad or really good they have influenced who you are and where you are at as a person and looking at them with gratitude is hard but is necessary. This is one of the main things that people tell me all the time is giving myself credit. It is something that I’m still working on and have been working on it for so many years.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Like I said earlier, I classify myself as a multi passionate creative. I choreograph, I teach, I create content, I dance, I am the resident fashionista everywhere I go. I’m of course still learning. I think you’re always learning about anything in your field and I’m not afraid to say that show that to my audience or my students. I’m always someone who approaches everything I do with vulnerability. Being yourself will always set you apart from other people.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Trust in God.

Pricing:

• Choreography ranges from $200-$550 based on group size
• Content Creation pricing given upon discussion
• Teaching prices $30 a class

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckaylah.bristow
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mckaylah.bristow
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moreofkkslife