Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu
Impact was my making. I walked in as a rough-around-the-edges young artist and left with craft, discipline and community.
Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu
Time Spent at Impact: 2000 – 2006
Current Career Area / Job Title: Founder & Creative Director, Uchenna Dance; Lighter Leadership Coach; Director of Empowerment, People Make It Work
Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s journey through Impact Dance shaped her into a creative leader in dance and community development. Joining the company in 2000, she spent six formative years honing her craft, building discipline, and discovering the power of collaboration. Today, Vicki is Founder & Creative Director of Uchenna Dance, a Lighter Leadership Coach, and Director of Empowerment at People Make It Work.
The Impact Effect
From her first classes at Impact, Vicki learned that dance could be a tool for expression, connection, and leadership. “Performing, assisting, and teaching gave me the confidence to lead, the tools to choreograph, and a deep respect for young people’s potential,” she reflects. Impact provided a space to experiment, to challenge herself, and to grow – laying the foundation for her work in creative leadership and dance.
Best Memories / Highlights
Two moments stand out. First, an audition for Meekah’s Dream, where she was unexpectedly asked to sing despite being told she wouldn’t need to. Terrified but determined, Vicki performed, secured a lead role, and learned to trust her instincts. Second, her first adult flight touring to Turkey with Impact opened her eyes to new cultures and inspired a lifelong love of international dance collaboration.
Life After Impact
Three years after leaving Impact, Vicki founded Uchenna Dance, creating and touring work nationally and internationally, mentoring emerging artists, and developing programmes for under-represented creatives. Alongside leading Uchenna, she coaches leaders through her Lighter Leadership practice and supports changemakers at People Make It Work. “Impact shaped the type of leader and human I wanted to be, and gave me the foundation I’ve built my whole career on,” she says.
Impact was my making. Performing, assisting, and teaching gave me the confidence to lead, the tools to choreograph, and a deep respect for young people’s potential.
Selected Highlights / Credits
- Director & Choreographer – Our Mighty Groove, Sadler’s Wells East
- Choreographer – The Enormous Crocodile, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Pinocchio, Shakespeare’s Globe
- Mass Movement Choreographer – London 2012 Olympics, Sochi 2014, Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014, Islamic Solidarity Games Baku 2017
- Nike Dance Sponsored Athlete (2005–2010)
Links