Cupcake Dynamite: a story of friendship told through dance

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Watch Cupcake Dynamite: A story of dance and friendship 9 years in the making  

When Wellington pupils Kayla and Cheryl first met in their year 5 maths class, they became fast friends. Then, before long, they became artistic collaborators. For eight years, these two Wellington Dance Scholars, have grown together as artists and friends, putting on spectacular performances and choreographing Senior School musical productions. They are now in year 13. Last month, they took to the Wellington College Theatre stage for their final appearance in our annual Have to Dance showcase. They accompanied their performance with a very moving video retrospective of their nine years as friends and creative partners entitled ‘Cupcake Dynamite’. Today, Cheryl and Kayla reflect on their time at Wellington, their enduring friendship and how they make each other better artists.   

01What inspired you to make this video?

We wanted to make this video to show the audience our journey together as dancers and also to celebrate our final performance in our school’s annual Have To Dance competition.

02How do you complement each other as performers, as friends?

As performers, we both have very similar dance styles and training, so we are great at keeping choreography synchronised. We also work great together when coming up with choreography and stories to tell in our dances.

03Do you ever feel competitive with each other?

Kayla: I don’t think we ever feel overly competitive with each other. If we do, it is in a friendly way that pushes us to become better dancers. We have been effectively working on the same team throughout these eight years, and it is very hard to see each other as competition.

Cheryl: I would say that we have definitely been more supportive of each other than competitive with each other. I still remember when we each did our first solo stages two years ago, and, although, we were not physically on stage together for those pieces, we still supported each other on a lot with things like choosing the song, the choreography and deciding costumes.

04How has your dance partner made you a better dancer?

Kayla: I think Cheryl has definitely pushed me to improve my ballet technique and choreography skills. Having a dance partner is also just great to motivate me to come to class every week, and I think the constant motivation from her is what has made me into the dancer and person I am today.

Cheryl: Kayla has encouraged me to try different dance styles other than ballet, such as jazz, hip hop and contemporary. Though some of these were out of my comfort one at times, the experiences were really valuable to me, because they broadened my understanding of the scope of dance.

05What is the most important thing you have learned from the other?

Kayla: The most important thing I have learnt from Cheryl is that hard work and perseverance pays off.

Cheryl: Kayla has taught me the importance of maintaining a positive outlook in life and how to be resilient while facing setbacks.

06Do you think you would have taken your artform as far as you have without the other?

Kayla: Definitely not. I probably would not even be dancing if it were not for Cheryl, let alone pursuing a career in musical theatre. She constantly pushes me to become a better dancer and person, and I would not be where I am without her.

Cheryl: Not at all. Whether it is in dance, in musical theatre or life in general, Kayla has supported me every step of the way for the past nine years, and things would not be the same without her.

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