Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau (born 30 June 1980), popularly known by her stage name Kaffy, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, dance instructor and

fitness coach A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...

. She is also the founder and owner of Imagneto Dance Company. She is best known for breaking the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for "Longest Dance Party" at the Nokia Silverbird Danceathon in 2006.

Early life and education

Kaffy was born and raised in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

. She completed her primary education at Chrisland School, Opebi and her secondary school education at Coker Secondary School, Orile-Iganmu before attending

Yaba College of Technology Yaba College of Technology, popularly known as YABATECH, was founded in 1947, and is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. It has a student enrollment of over 16,000. Overview Yaba College of Technology ...

for a while and went on to obtain a diploma in

data processing Data processing is the collection and manipulation of digital data to produce meaningful information. Data processing is a form of '' information processing'', which is the modification (processing) of information in any manner detectable by ...

and

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...

from

Olabisi Onabanjo University Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye is a state owned and operated university located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. The university was founded on 7 July 1982 as Ogun State University (OSU) and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on 29 ...

Career

Kaffy's dancing career took off after she went to an event to perform onstage by someone who spotted her when she used to go to the

National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...

during weekends for dance rehearsals and workouts. In 2006, Kaffy led her dance group to break the Guinness Book of Record for "Longest Dance Party" after they danced for 55hours and 40minutes. She is currently a dance instructor who has developed innovative visualisation-based methods for teaching dance and dance fitness in an accelerated-learning format. In 2017, she created 'The Dance Workshop ' a dance convention aimed at training and mentoring professional dancers as well as promoting cultural exchange within the Nigerian dance industry. The 2017 Edition featured America's leading choreographer, AY Hollywood.

Personal life

She was married to Joseph Ameh, the music director and drummer for Nigerian duo

P-Square P-Square is a Nigerian music duo consisting of the twin brothers Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye. They produced and released their albums through Square Records (now Square Root Entertainment) In December 2011, they signed a record deal with Akon' ...

from July 2015 to January 2022. She filed for divorce on the 11th of January 2022. She has two children with him.

Filmography

Dance fitness and instructions

* "9jaDance Burnout" * "Ijoda9ja Dance Burnout"

Reality television shows

* ''Malta Guinness Street Dance'' - (Judge) * ''

Project Fame West Africa ''Project Fame'', also known as ''Project Fame West Africa'' or ''MTN Project Fame West Africa'' (for sponsorship purposes), is a music talent TV reality show filmed in Lagos and aired in the West African subcontinent. It is a regional version of ...

'' - (Faculty Member) * ''Dance with Peter'' – (Judge and Faculty Instructor)

Music videos

Kaffy is recognized for her dance moves and level of stamina. She has featured in award-winning musical videos for artistes such as Seyi Shay,

D'banj Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born 9 June 1980), better known by his stage name D'banj, is a Nigerian singer and rapper and the founder of Mo' Hits Records with producer Don Jazzy. He has won several music awards, including the awards for ''Best Af ...

Olamide Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. Widely regarded as one of the biggest and most influential artists in Africa, he has been instrumental to the launching of the careers ...

Tiwa Savage Tiwa Savage (born 5 February 1980) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and performing artist. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup voc ...

and some other international top acts.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Use dmy dates, date=August 2016 1980 births Olabisi Onabanjo University alumni Yaba College of Technology alumni Yoruba women Nigerian choreographers Living people Nigerian female dancers Nigerian women company founders