At 11 years old, Kaysheena Bindiya Singh was one of the youngest contestants on the Guyana Talent Search Competition. Nevertheless, she managed to dance herself into the final ten and emerged as one of the winners.
This talented young dancer, who mesmerized viewers on the show, and hails from Capoey, Essequibo Coast, spoke with The Scene in the presence of her mother. “It’s an awesome feeling to be one of the winning contestants,” she enthused, adding that it was wonderful to have the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports give her such an opportunity even though she was so young. Kaysheena has since celebrated her 12th birthday.
She recalled that her mother learned of the competition from an advertisement on Facebook. During this time, the Taymouth Manor Primary pupil was preparing to sit her National Grade Six Assessment and needed to maintain a balance between the show and her studies. This was not a problem for the dancer who had been managing school and dance classes since she was four.
The youngest of three children, Kaysheena shared that though her mother enrolled her in dancing classes when she was four, her inspiration to dance really came from her older sister.
As regards the competition, her greatest challenge was the long trek from Capoey to Georgetown. So, whenever she had rehearsals or a performance, she and her mother stayed with relatives.
Prior to Talent Search, Kaysheena was in a competition called ‘Kala Utsav’ which she won. She also participated in her school pageant and was awarded the Miss Congeniality and Best Gown prizes. Given those experiences, as well as performing at her school and at other events on the Essequibo Coast, dancing in front of an audience is easy for her. She enjoys being able to express herself in the art.
The experience of competing in Talent Search, Kaysheena said, was amazing and she learnt new things, one of which is to choreograph her own dances using pointers from YouTube and her mother. She learnt patience and, with some of the viewers being harsh in their comments, how to deal with criticism; instead of being discouraged, she used it as motivation to keep doing her best.
Like her fellow contestants, her favourite experience was performing at the Flag Raising Ceremony.
An aspiring cardiologist, the ambitious Kaysheena is also working towards being the best in dance so she could one day be a dance instructor and be a motivation for children in her community. She already has a bucket list with items like travel to as many countries as possible, meet Michelle Obama, and act in a Bollywood film. “The one thing that motivates me is her [Michelle Obama’s] quotes and no matter who you are and where you come from you can inspire someone [and be a role model too],” said the dancer.
Her closest goal though is to become a youth ambassador to assist disabled children in public schools, which she hopes to begin as soon as she hits her teens. With her parents, siblings and relatives as her biggest supporters, she is sure she will be able to achieve her goals with their help.
In her free time, Kaysheena likes to dance and she practices an hour everyday. She also likes to read, make pastries, enjoy nature and play with her puppy, Coco. The dancer is currently reading some novels her mother got her. She is also learning how to play the keyboard.
Kaysheena thanks all who were part of her journey, including her mentors, makeup artist, friends, family and fans who aided her in becoming a “superstar”.
