The Girl With The Butterfly Tattoo Moves To Jamaica To Live Her Dream
There’s a new face in town, and she’s known as the girl with the butterfly tattoo! Lilie Gorchkov (@lil_hankypanky), who appeared as a lead dancer in Left Side and Sean Paul’s Dem Nuh Ready Yet last week, is making waves for her signature looks, intriguing tattoo, and dance moves.
Lilie, 23, who moved to Jamaica from Germany, said she initially came to attend Dancehall classes, but instead, she fell in love with warm and sunny Jamaica and ended up making it her home. She said opening her business was her dream, and since settling in Jamaica, that did not change, although the coronavirus has put a spoke in her wheel.
“I always wanted my own dancing place, and I just kept coming back to Jamaica, and I talk about my ideas, and people here encouraged me to do it out here because Jamaica is in a developing phase right now. I think people are very open-minded here and the culture is much about dancing here. I started teaching at different gyms, and then I rented studios and organized classes under my brand, which is Movement International. My boyfriend back then helped me out, and he helped me to select the name and also set up my base here.”
Lilie might be a twerk queen, but she’s also a young businesswoman focused on building a brand about the things she is passionate about, which are dancing and fitness and making a living from it, something many dancers struggle with. “My own brand is more about sexy dancing with heels and some bootyshaking. Dancing is more about dancing and fitness- what I call choreo-fitness.”
While coronavirus has affected her business just as she was setting up after deciding to move to Jamaica permanently in March 2020, it has presented a unique opportunity for her business, which instead took off virtually. “The first month was very devastating for me. I had to take a month off and go to Portland. A friend and I decided to start online and teach online.”
Networking, according to her, has helped her by announcing her plans to friends and associates who offered help and support as well as spreading the word. The result is now a global reach- with her working her links in Europe, Jamaica, and elsewhere – “We have people from all over Europe joining (online classes). We’re now working on a website to put up the dance basics.” This includes step by step classes on dance moves and fitness incorporation.
Moving to Jamaica has not been an easy decision. The stark contrast of a busy, fast-paced German society and the easy laid back and jovial Jamaican culture presented a culture shock for Lilie.
“Since living in Jamaica I learnt a lot of things about myself, about people, about the world. It’s a very intense life. Everybody has his or her up and downs in life, in Germany, everything is intense. Here you can go from the biggest disaster to the highest high. Life is very different here from the mindset of Europe. I had to get used to many things. I have to say I learnt to appreciate some things about Germany,” she laughs without going further.
“When you try to make a living out here and get papers, stuff done, there are things, for example, the dynamic of life- things take a lot of time, and people move in a completely different tempo. I still catch myself running up and down here. In Germany, everybody is always in a rush and if they go on the streets, quickly, you know, walking quickly and here (Jamaica) people don’t have that kind of rush, sometimes I think I am still living in my own bubble out here,” she says of her struggle to adjust.
Lilie says she has been dancing as far as she remembers, and her expertise spans various genres of music, something she has been deliberate about as it hinges on her versatility as a dancer and her very success in the competitive world of talented dancing. – “I started when I was 5. I started ballet, and when I was seven I changed to hip hop, entering dancing competitions, hip hop groups for several years, then I went to salsa and I went to Jazz, contemporary- I danced myself through different genres, and I never focused on one genre except hip hop.”
“Dancehall came a few years ago, when I was about 16-years-old…that was when I discovered dancehall, it was different from the other stuff- it was more about the flow, the feeling and I fell in love with it, and that made me interested in the culture and what brought me here.”
Her dancing style at present is more hip hop, dancehall but also what she calls “commercial” styles – her own branding which is mainly with high heels and sexy/ sensual dancing. This has set her aside as she mixes and matches dance moves like one would a colour coordinated outfit – “I do sexy, female, very feminine dancing. I think the fact that I didn’t concentrate on one style, that is focusing on one style, I started to create styles, mix styles, and I started to do choreographies, mix the sexy styles with dancehall fused with hip hop, and that created a completely new vibe. That’s what I identify myself as, a fusion of different styles. That has helped me. I am more about the vibe of the song, not the genre, as I don’t believe in putting genres in jars. I respect the culture, and that’s why every time I teach a class, I always say I am not teaching dancehall, I’m teaching my choreography, and my style and what inspired me, and I’m sharing that with you. It makes me pretty unique people like to book me for shows, choreography, and workshops, etc.”
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She added, “dancing, in general, has helped me personally. It has helped me to develop my self-esteem and self-confidence. It helps you to learn yourself, and I think that helps you in life in general with how you approach life with your mindset.’
While her brand grows and her image draws attention, Lilie remains modest about her growing fame in Jamaica despite appearing in several videos with big-name artistes like Sean Paul and Leftside. “The videographers barely promote the dancers. They promote the video people don’t know who the dancers are. I feel there could be more support for dancers overall.”
Lilie’s signature dance moves are not the only unique thing about her. She sports a very eye-catching tattoo that spans the entirety of her rear end, which has led to much attention in this part of the Caribbean where tattoos remain taboo.
In most cases, it is associated with negative perceptions and can result in limited employment, dating, and other opportunities. “I always come up with crazy stuff. I’ve always been known to do crazy stuff. The music video Taste by Tyga…one of my male friends showed me this video, and I saw a lot of twerking girls, and this girl had a tiger faced tattoo and I was like damn. I’m getting an a– tattoo…the butterfly was chosen because when I twerk it flies,” she laughs.
“So nowadays I get the question a lot, can it fly. There is a reason why I did it. I knew it was going to brand me.”
Meanwhile, her dancing might be viewed as lewd by many, as her specialty is mainly twerking. “A lot of people put twerking in the dirty or nasty corner, but I really mean, for us in Europe, it’s becoming a female empowerment thing. Girls are to be proud of what we’ve got. It’s no secret that the female body is sexual, beautiful, and aesthetic, and we shouldn’t be shy about it. Twerking is not necessarily sexual, and even if it is, it’s something completely human. I think women should be more confident about it.”
She has advice for aspiring dancers and also those who feel like they want to dance but are scared or shy. “Do it for you, do it to express not impress. Dancing defines my personality. It’s never a competition, do it for yourself, your body, your mind. Dancing also gives you a completely new feeling for your body. Don’t be ashamed. Work with your body, play with your body, show your body, and express what’s happening inside of you.”
If you’re interested in dancing with Lilie- she encourages fans to follow Movement International (@movementintl) and join her classes. “We’re trying to make dance accessible to those who want to do it for a hobby. Pole dancing, yoga, dance fitness, we want to bring dancing, fitness, and health under one roof. Most online classes are on Sundays, and we have physical classes on Sundays.”
Lilie notes that Jamaica is developing, and while she can’t predict the future, she’s hoping that her fusion style of dancing gets exposure internationally and locally. She says while Soca and Dancehall classes are aplenty on the island, she hasn’t seen anyone doing what she has been doing, and she intends to build that as a brand.”