I Am African And I Can: N'tifafa Akoko Tete-Rosenthal

Shy Girl Becomes Dancing Queen

Bounce, bounce off she goes swirling across the stage with a glow. Flow. Bow down, bow down here goes dancing queen N'tifafa Akoko Tete-Rosenthal.

As a young girl, N'tifafa's parents tried to get her involved in a variety of activities (soccer, swimming, playing the violin). But none of them swept her off her feet the way dancing has, "dancing stuck." Dancing, especially Ballet, brings her inner Mikhail Baryshnikov out.

Fearless, with a dapper swagger, the stage became her comfort zone at the age of nine.

She was always a shy girl, but that certainly isn't noticeable when she dances. "When I step on the stage, I lose myself," said the Togolese freelance dancer. "It's a happy place for me."

If you happen to bump into her right before she goes on stage to perform, you'll notice that she is just like any other human being --she gets very nervous-- but once she makes her way onto the stage, nothing else seems to matter, but the joy and entertainment that she brings to her audience.

Belco Maryama Bocoum, Secretary General for US-Africa Synergy expressed that, "N'tifafa is very vibrant and full of life. When you watch her dance it makes you want to get up and dance. It's like watching a free spirit."

Ever heard of giving your 100 percent? This number does not even exist in N'tifafa's world; she believes in giving more than that when she performs. She goes all out.

Dancing, lots of popping, sweating, and sometimes even falling. But none of this seems to be a deal breaker to N'tifafa. She loves every moment because it helps her grow.

She finds great joy and comfort in dancing Ballet, Jazz, contemporary and West African dancing styles.

Since the start of her career, she has danced for dance companies like: Fusha Dance, Ballet International Africans, Les Enfants du Soleil, and ZumaZuma.

Hailing from Flint, Michigan she is proud to have grown up in a city that some consider an undesirable place to raise children, because it gives her an opportunity to prove them wrong at any given opportunity.

Flint nurtured the artist that she is today and made her the woman that she is today, fearless when it comes to voicing her opinion, and more determined to achieve her goals.

During her college days, she majored in dance and minored in physical therapy.

At 29, dancing has allowed her to touch many hearts and she is on a mission to touch even more hearts. Her dream of one day opening a Physical Therapy clinic in her native land Togo, as well as Ghana is only steps away. She will swirl, she will glide, and she will leap until she arrives. She is a dancing queen and queens make things happen with elegance and grace.