Ahkai Franklin

Ahkai was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, where the world of dance primarily existed at parties or on TV. While he loved to dance and perform for family at parties and other gatherings, Ahkai never saw dance as anything more than something to do for fun. One night Ahkai went out to see his aunt dance professionally; what he saw changed his life forever. Bitricia Knighton danced with Garth Fagan Dance Company for twenty-five years; during that time Ahkai saw the company perform whenever it was in New York City. It was in watching these performances that Ahkai's love for dance would be born, and because of it his future would be set in stone.

His formal training started at the age of thirteen at the Trevor Day School in Manhattan. He trained in basic technique, improvisation, and choreography. His style and basic knowledge of dance would grow as he observed his surroundings at home and the dance he saw on popular media. While acquiring his BFA in theater at Wesleyan University he would lead several dance troupes, eventually founding his own. During his college years and those that followed, he would hone his choreographic voice and learn how to run, on a small scale, a company of dancers. He went on to dance behind emerging artists, perform a multitude of lead roles for the renowned Afrikan Women’s Repertory Theatre NYC, dance and teach with New-York-based dance companies like Mix’t Dance Company and Arch Dance Company, and open for major recording artist Snoop Dogg.  Then two things happened that changed Ahkai’s life forever: he started teaching dance full-time and he met Garrett Minniti.

Ahkai is the co-Artistic Director and co-Founder of In It For Life Productions, based in New York City. In It For Life produced eleven showcases and original Off-Broadway productions, as well as seventeen dance workshops across the country since its inception in 2007. IIFL events have featured some of the country's most sought-after choreographers, educators, and dancers. In March of 2013, IIFL finished its first Festival of Arts & Education, which consisted of two weeks of live theatre, dance performances, and educational workshop experiences. It was held at the Theatre at Saint Clement's, the 3rd oldest Off-Broadway house in New York City. 

At the conclusion of the festival, Ahkai and Garrett officially decided to put In It For Life Productions on hold and invest all of their energy into The Breakthrough Outreach & Performance Not-for-Profit Corporation. Also known as The Breakthrough Movement, it is a not-for-profit dance company consisting of dancers and apprentices from across the continental United States, Canada, and Central America. The company’s aim is to inspire change in local communities around the globe through thought provoking performances and local outreach initiatives, all while providing opportunities and training for dancers who might not have access to a burgeoning dance community.

Ahkai continues to teach throughout the tri-state area. And he continues to work with local theater, dance and film companies. Ahkai has recently been working on music video choreography for emerging artists, flash mobs for weddings and other events, competitive Hip-Hop choreography, and student/independent film projects. His current credits include a number of off-off, and off-broadway theater works (The Roaring Girl, Mary V, King Lear, and Dancing Girl), the independent movie Shakespeare’s Sh*!storm or Prospero’s Revenge, directed by Lloyd Kaufman, the movie Barry (2016), now streaming in Netflix, and the show Pixar in Real Life, currently streaming on Disney+.

He continually seeks to inspire students, young and old, to speak through dance and performance what can’t be said out loud. Having grown up in a place were escape is the only way to survive, Ahkai believes that  dance can help heal the scars that people develop throughout the course of their lives. Dance helped to save his life, so why not pay it forward and help to save someone else’s?

When not dancing, choreographing, rehearsing, planning, writing, or meeting about the world of dance; the Bronx native spends time with his amazing and supportive wife, cooks, reads, writes, and thanks God for the precious life granted to him. (Aw shucks)