A professional dancer from Croydon who has performed alongside the Spice Girls and Stormzy says her “hard work and dedication” has led to her living out a life she only dreamt of as a child.
27-year-old Demi Mensah was born and raised in Croydon and has been a professional dancer for almost 10 years.
She first entered the realm of entertainment by attending the BRIT school in Croydon, where she studied dance and developed her technical skills alongside collaborating with mega music organisations.
Now, Demi is finishing the last leg of the DUA LIPA world-wide tour, where she plays a “principal” role along with six other talented dancers.
Demi told Your Local Guardian: “Working on this tour has been a dream come true – the whole experience has been everything and more.
“To travel and experience being on stage in front of thousands of people across the world is an indescribable feeling.
“I have done almost nine months on the tour and we’re currently in Australia.
“Our team is so diverse and special – there is so much representation on stage, which is important to both me and Dua.
“Don’t get me wrong, it can be exhausting at times, but I just have to pinch myself and remind myself that I would have only dreamt of this as a child.”
Once graduating from the BRIT school, Demi danced her way through the Urdang Academy and came face-to-face with setbacks, as she took on many auditions but became all too familiar with rejection.
Soon enough, Demi found herself auditioning for the role of a dancer in pop sensation Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia tour and bagged the role that would soon take up the majority of her 2022.
Demi explained: “I don’t want to make it out that it's been easy – I think I put a lot of groundwork in to get to where I am today.
“You’re never going to not get results for working hard, you know, hard work would lead to things that you're destined to do.
“Obviously, the creative industry is constantly changing, so sometimes I'd be suited to some things, and others I won’t, but that's just the way it is.
“You have to have thick skin sometimes, take on the criticism and let the rejection pass.
“You can't let that get you down, because there's always going to be something else that’ll come around the corner.”
Demi says it is “really special” to be part of a diverse team full of representation as she feels people from across the world can connect with each individual on stage.
She explained: “When you see the crowds in places such as South America, it’s amazing to see the audience seem touched by the representation on stage.
“Each of us get to have a one-on-one connection with the audiences, and it can be quite emotional.
“In some kind of way, performing live with a diverse group is part of history.
“It feels like we’re doing something special and part of a movement in history.”
The dancing star is no stranger to the stage, as she has two-stepped her way on legendary stages with the likes of Stormzy, the Spice Girls, and Robbie Williams and taken part in national shows such as the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.
Demi added: “I always like to give credit to my mum because she's been such a mentor to me and just really pushed me to fulfil my dream from a young age and just work hard.”
“I have danced with so many incredible people, including Janet Jackson, the Spice Girls, Black Eyed Peas, Stormzy, Robbie Williams and Little Mix.
“I've just been really grateful to have my path just take off for me and I've really found my direction at quite a younger age.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here