LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kendal Hughley went from growing her passion with private lessons, to dancing at her mom’s studio, to taking on the Super Bowl half-time show next to hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar in February.
Hughley is one of 20 women dancers who performed at the show seen around the world.
“Our rehearsals were 12 hours long every day,” Hughley said. The 18-year-old is a competitively trained dancer from Lexington’s Upgrade Dance company, her mother’s studio.
Going to the Super Bowl was another learning opportunity for Hughley. She said, “I learned a lot from them because they’re like, we’re on the same level there for the same thing. So it’s pretty nice to be in that same environment with people that have the same desires and, you know, wishes as you.”
Her mother, Mary Hughley, a long-time physical education teacher with Fayette County Public Schools, started a dance troupe which led to her opening her family-run dance studio in 2016.
She said, “Everything just comes from the lord. This came from a vision that I had when this started. I saw all of the dancers of all colors on stage, dancing on stage. And so I just went through with what the lord told me to do, which was to start a dance company.”
The studio offers multiple genres from hip-hop to ballet, jazz, and more. Kendal Hughley and her sister are instructors at the dance studio.
“Dancers, they come in, you know, just with different intentions of just learning dance as a hobby. And then also some want to become professional dancers. So we have a pre-professional dance program, and we also work with agents that help to get them there,” Mary Hughley said.
Performers at Upgrade have brought home a series of trophies and awards over the years, through hard work and practice.
“Dedication and commitment. And number one, it takes discipline for them to reach their goals, to become a professional dancer,” Mary Hughley said.
“Especially if there are different things that you want to miss. You have to sacrifice those things if you want to get to where you want to go. Consistency is probably the main thing, keep training every day, no matter if it’s just learning or TikTok or combo, anything like that.” creating more dancers who value the art,” Kendal Hughley added.
The upgrade is getting a makeover. The dance company is getting set to move to a new location in April.
