TK by Urbanatix

Who are you and where are we right now?

Hi, I'm Takudzwa, most people call me TK and I'm a hip hop dancer in the Ruhr area.

I am originally from Zimbabwe. I came to Germany through a tour, where we did various dance workshops, theater and singing for a year. After that, I almost had the opportunity to attend the New York City Academy in Stuttgart, but that didn't work out. But I absolutely wanted to stay in Germany and deepen and study my passion for dancing. That would not have been possible in my home country. Then I searched and put my profile online and was then contacted by a dance school and there I met Milo who is at Urbanatix and he then took me to Urbanatix. In 2017 I moved to Essen. We are currently in our Urbanatix Open Space in Bochum.

How can one imagine the Open Space?

The open space is a place for urban street artists who come here to train or to exchange ideas. We have dancers, parcour runners and many other different art forms. The Open Space is therefore a home for young people and adults who want to live out their creativity. There are many dance offers, shorts and workshops here. But you can simply train what you want here. For example, if you feel like boxing and you have the equipment, you can do that here too.

What do you do at Urbanatix?

Urbanatix is ​​a family. A great street ensemble. Everyone is exceptional. Every year in November Urbanatix takes place in the Centennial Hall. It's a big performance with a lot of dance and acrobatics that combines everything that's also practiced here in the open space. I think it's really cool that there is something like this here in the Ruhr area!

What do you like about Bochum, Essen and the Ruhr area?

There are many people here with the same mindset, especially with our meeting place here. Beautiful places in Bochum are above all the West Park or the Schlosspark Weitmar. In Essen, of course, I get them Zollverein colliery or the Grugapark. But I think everything is beautiful here in the Ruhr area, I'm very flexible and like to discover new things. For me, the Ruhr area has become my home!

How would your friends or family describe you?

Passionate, loving, and simply a fighter.

All photos © Per Appelgren