Twenty years old and already with a long list of accomplishments and awards behind her, Nikia Manders is in no doubt where her future lies, and to that end is in the third year of a four-year programme at the State University of New York at Buffalo, at the conclusion of which she expects to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance.

"My goal is to be a professional dancer, and the very best that I can be," she says.

Miss Manders took the first steps towards her future career as a three-year-old, when her mother, dance teacher Linda Manders, decided to expose her only child to a variety of activities, and enrolled her in the Tumble Tots gymnastics programme as well as the Jackson School of Dance.

The little girl displayed an immediate affinity for both, and did well, but as she grew older she developed a preference for gymnastics, although she continued to study ballet, jazz and tap.

"Gymnastics was my first love and I was very focussed," Miss Manders says. "I went more for it because there was more to it - you competed abroad. At age 12 I left Tumble Tots and joined the Bermuda Gymnastic Association."

In fact, she was a member of the Bermuda National Gymnastic Team from 1993-1998, and competed in North America and Russia.

Unfortunately, a series of injuries precluded a future in gymnastics, but she used her fitness, power and stamina in other sporting avenues. A student at the Bermuda High School for Girls (BHS), she accumulated an impressive athletic record which included being Games Captain, the school's fastest runner from 1996 to1998, a member of its netball, cross country and track and field teams, as well as the gold medal swimming team. She was also a nominee for the Bermuda Teen Sports Award in 1998.

Following her graduation from BHS and the Saltus Grammar School Post Graduate Year, Miss Manders thought she had her career path mapped out, but once she enrolled in the State University of New York at Buffalo she changed her mind.

"Originally, I was going to major in Physiotherapy in Dance, but I decided it was more important to focus on dance, which is a four-year course," she says. "At the end of it I will leave the school being able to do anything, such as going from a modern to a jazz company."

Already Miss Manders has enjoyed some wonderful experiences while at university, including sharing classes with the visiting American Ballet Theatre Studio Company.

"They did a premi?re performance at our university, and we watched their classes," she says. "We got to know them pretty well, and it was very motivating. They are great dancers, and we realised the thing that made them better was....their desire to keep perfecting what they had. That encouraged me to improve myself."

Earlier this year the dance major also attended the Black College Dance Exchange in Atlanta, where she represented her university and participated in various classes including African dance, modern, jazz and hip-hop.

She and her partner also danced a modern tango in the College Showcase - an audition which won her no less than three scholarships: one each to summer programmes with the famed Philadanco Dance Company and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, both of which have performed in the Bermuda Festival.

The third was to the Arts Unlimited Project, which affords dancers an opportunity for professional training.

Unfortunately, Miss Manders could not participate in all three, so she chose Philadanco.

"They really are very good and it was a great experience," she says. "I was there for four weeks and the programme was excellent. It included modern, ballet and jazz, and we had to be in lots of dances. I felt I really had to strive because I wanted to look good and do well because hopefully in a year or two I will be auditioning for their company."

In fact, she wants to prepare for that opportunity by starting general auditions this year.

"Auditions are no joke," she says. "They are your life. They try to make you as professional as possible, and you have to do ballet, jazz and modern."

Which fits right in with her university's goal to turn out versatile dancers.

"They want you to get a job," Miss Manders notes.

Asked what it takes to become a dancer, she does not hesitate: "It takes years of education, training and hard work. Last semester I danced from 9 a. m. to 1 p. m., and rehearsed in the evenings. In our dance classes we also have to read books, produce papers and take exams, as well as take academic classes."

The recipient of the Bermuda Arts Council Award for the past three years and the Bermuda Ballet Association 2000 award, Miss Manders says her first goal as a professional dancer will be to "take it as far as I can". After that she plans to "go back to school and get another degree".

"I love to dance but I can't see myself dancing for my whole life. I just want to be successful, and I know I can be successful in other areas too."

She also wants to contribute to the Bermuda dance world some day.

"I want to promote dance and the arts in Bermuda. Bermudians need somewhere to grow and somewhere to learn. Suzette Harvey and Lizz Pimental are doing a great job, but there is still a lot more work that can be done. They need as much help as they can possibly get."

Meanwhile, her parents continue to be very supportive of her talents and her career choice.

"I love performing the most, and they are glad for me. My dad (Wallisford Manders) is very involved in sports, and he encourages me to look like an athlete because when you are being partnered and the guy is throwing you around you have to be fit. My body is changing from a gymnast's to a dancer's and my muscles are lengthening. You have to look like an athlete."