Mikii Highflames dancing his way to success

Despite being told to give up long before he even dropped out of high school, 18-year-old dancer Mikii Highflames is using TikTok to push his now-thriving career.

Born Mikhail Simpson in Maxfield, a community often in the news for violence, he had to grow up faster than most.

"My father passed away violently when mi was about five months old, so mi don't really know him. A really mi mother raise mi, and she always supportive. There were times when doubt kick in, but she still support mi," he told THE STAR.

Even before he understood the word 'choreography', Mikii was dancing to "bad riddims".

"Mi a dance from basic school, but a when mi reach high school mi did really start to take the dancing serious and realise that's what I wanted to do. Everywhere music a play, dem expect me to dance, so mi start make videos and post it," he said.

But life threw challenges his way. In Grade 11 at St Andrew Technical High School, the pressure became too much.

"Everything did a happen so fast, it got pressuring and overbearing. Mi did haffi help myself with school and mi mother and mi brothers. Mi just put my mind to it and say mi going to work and do what mi haffi do."

Still, he never walked away from his passion.

"Mi was really good at sports. I tried football and track. If mi did serious about those, mi coulda make a career out of them too. But mi guess dancing was my path," he said. Part of his stage name was inspired by his late father, who was named Mickey.

"So mi put my own twist to it. 'Highflames' comes from me joining the Highflames dancing group because Kaka Highflames inspired me to dance," he explained. The group started out on Instagram with hardcore choreography, but TikTok changed the game.

"It promote we more. The content we put out on TikTok was more catchy, so we had to transition fi fit everybody who nuh necessarily a dancer. Kaka build one a di first Jamaican challenge pon TikTok that went viral, and that was a big push fi the team," said Mikii. His own break came when he created the 'Bull in a Pen' challenge.

"I just did the routine and mi end up liking it, then mi see everybody start doing it," he recalled. The viral moment led to promotion gigs, stage shows like Reggae Sumfest, and even tours with Skeng to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.

"It was a good experience to go other countries and see that people love our dance."

He's also taught dance classes, something he never imagined, adding that dancing has helped him to interact with people he had never met.

"Visitors come here to learn the culture, the moves, and the music. Dem find it more entertaining than our own Jamaicans sometimes."

Even after losing a TikTok account and having to start over, Mikii refuses to lose hope.

"I feel like the more positive you are and the more positivity you put out, the more you receive. Positivity is key to accomplishment [and] the only person who can really stop you is you."

Mikii admitted that he hasn't reached where he wants to be professionally, and still thinks about finishing school.

"Mi actually consider going back, but right now mi aim is to get my dancing on a different level. Then mi consider going back to school, because mi want to go back."

"With me, mi feel like anything mi put mi mind to, mi do it no matter what people try fi seh. Mi ago get it done."