↑ kenzie caines-mckie
@theleapbd
tell us a little bit about yourself!
I’m creatively named Blvck Ic3. I’m a multidisciplinary young person. I do djing, dance, I’m a musician, and a theatre performer; I also do community youth work as well. Recently I applied for some funding from The Leap to be able to set up a community project that combines dance classes with informal learning.
what qualities do you most admire in other women?
One of the qualities I admire in women is a woman who has strong morals, I find that in the modern world it’s easy to put morals aside and act in a less respectable manner, but someone who can uphold their morals even when there’s nobody around is an admirable trait to me. I also find confidence admirable in people because it’s really easy to compare yourself to others or put loads of pressure on yourself to be amazing but being able to find internal confidence is a lot more powerful than having external confidence.
what barriers do you feel that young women face in trying to establish a career in the music industry?
A lot of young women can find it difficult to establish themselves in a lot of creative industries due to them being male dominated. For me, I find it difficult to navigate the music scene due to my personal experiences. I often find it hard to go to networking events where I know there won’t be many females there and especially any females that represent me. Recently I have seen some one-off events or projects aimed at women in music and they do provide a good way to network with other women, however it would be good to see these promoted more widely and made more accessible.
tell us a little about your project steppers. what positive outcomes are you hoping for any young women taking part?
In collaboration with The Leap, I’m able to set up a multipurpose dance project. Not only is this a dance project to encourage physical and mental wellbeing but it’s also a space for informal learning and social development. Steppers is reaching out to young people aged 11-13 to be involved, to learn the things schools won’t teach and to meet people you’d never normally meet. Whilst my project is for boys and girls, I particularly want to show girls that it is possible to achieve independence and that they do not have to rely on others to create a career in the creative industry.
