Tolü Makay is not letting the setback of two dance-offs stop her. She’s taking it all in her stride.
In fact, she’s shared how Dancing with the Stars has taught her that she is “much more capable” than she thought before.
Speaking to VIP Magazine ahead of the final, she says: “Oftentimes, I doubt myself or I’m really tough on myself and then I overthink. But this competition has really taught me to relax and to trust myself and trust that other people have me as well.
“There’s a lot of very specific life moment stuff as well. For example, going to bed and sleeping actually allows you to know your steps the next day. Just small things like that have just been like, ‘Oh, okay, that’s a thing to know about my body and how that works’.”
She goes to say that her “body loves to move”.
“I feel much better, much happier, much lighter. And being able to know how my body wants to be controlled, it’s really nice to be able to engage in my body this way. And because of that, I’m actually much more active. I’m learning how to swim.”
She laughs: “I’m taking up Afro-Brazilian dancing at the moment as well, even though I’m doing all of this, I know, I’m crazy.”
It has been an incredible experience and has opened her up to a whole new audience. One thing she is eager to continue with is her work with young people.
“I work with kids as often as I possibly can. For example, some of the kids in Tullamore College, I worked with them previously with Educate Together Board. I go in and teach them how to sing and how to write a song, which I did two years ago. I got to see them this week for my homecoming and that was incredible.
She shared that another student in a school she had worked with has been nominated for a music prize.
“To see the positive effect of just sharing yourself, sharing your story, and where you come from, and how it’s literally directly inspiring another generation, I think it’s important. I know the purpose of why I’m doing what I’m doing, which is to feel and to express myself.
“But when you see how that correlates with somebody else in their life, and the impact it has on other kids, it’s incredible.”
She shared that when she was supporting Lyra a few years ago, she was met with a young fan “who was having a hard time”.
“Through lyrics, they were able to get something that resonated with them. So to have that immediate response from just a song and lyrics, it means the world to me. I think that kid was maybe 14 and was able to understand that the music…That’s why I do what I do. It’s for people to connect, it’s for people to feel.”
The Dancing with the Stars Grand Finale airs on Sunday 15 March at 6:30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
