Destiny follows her dance steps

Destiny was not the most popular baby name for girls back in 2003. Those little ones, who became teenagers last year, are now answering to Emma, Chloe, Abigail, Makayla and Riley.

Destiny didn’t make the cut on the list of the top 50, either. It couldn’t beat out the likes of Isabella, Brianna, Kaylee or Mackenzie.

But Keisa Glover was determined it was what she would call her only child.

Destiny wasn’t just a name.

It was a calling.

Her daughter had a difficult opening performance in life. She was born a month premature and didn’t weigh much more than a quart of buttermilk from the dairy section at the grocery store.

But there was something high and holy about the name, too. Keisa gave birth on Sept. 5, 2003. It was the two-year anniversary of the death of her grandmother, Rosa Raines.

“It was destiny that my child was born that day,’’ Keisa said. “It had been a sad day, and now it was a happy one.’’

There had been complications in the last trimester of Keisa’s pregnancy. Her doctors ordered her on bed rest, then admitted her to a hospital in Columbus on July 13 — her 27th birthday — three months before her due date.

Had she been allowed to leave her bed, she would have climbed the walls of that hospital room.

“I even had to have my baby shower in the hospital,’’ she said.

After Destiny arrived, the joy began.

She grew into a loving, affectionate child with a smile as wide as every door she walks through.

Destiny Wimpye’s family was living in Atlanta when she came home from day care one day and started moving her feet to every song. A dance troupe had visited the school and performed for the children. It made a huge impression on her.

Even at a young age, some of Destiny’s teachers recognized she had a special talent for dancing.

Keisa had run track as a student at Southwest High School, so her legs had been in motion most of her life. But dancing — ballet, tap, jazz and the others — was almost a foreign language.

“Destiny would dance around the house, but at 3 years old you don’t really think about it,’’ Keisa said. “When she was 4, she was invited to be part of a dance team. I didn’t think she was old enough. When she was 5, I thought she was ready.’’

Not only did Destiny dance, she excelled. In the summer of 2013, she went to California to audition for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles.

Destiny welcomed the experience. She didn’t expect it to change her life.

“She (Allen) asked me to become part of the group full time,’’ Destiny said. “I told her I didn’t live there. And she said: ‘Well, why don’t you just move?’ ’’

If only it had been that simple. Together, Destiny and her mom had to learn a new dance step — a leap of faith.

Keisa said Allen was aware the family lived in Georgia. It wasn’t until later the strong Macon connection came into focus. Destiny’s grandmother, Gloria Burnette, works for the Bibb County Board of Education as an administrative assistant at the Hutchings Career Center.

Allen, a well-known actress and dancer, is married to Macon native Norm Nixon, a former Southwest High standout who went on to be a star in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. (Allen is the sister of Phylicia Rashad, who played Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.’’)

Destiny attends a public school for the performing arts in Long Beach, California. She spends between 20 and 30 hours a week in dance rehearsals. Her hard work has paid off. It’s difficult to imagine any 13-year-old having a more impressive resume.

She performed with a dance group for Michelle Obama at the White House and Kennedy Center. She was recently featured on ABC-TV on stage (as a solo dancer) in a Mariah Carey Christmas special from Disneyland. She has been part of Allen’s productions of the “Chocolate Nutcracker.’’

And she has self-published a book called “Following Your Destiny.’’ She can give her mother an assist on the title. After all, mom is responsible for giving her the name that has carried her.

“When I dance, I feel like I can inspire people,’’ she said. “They can do it if their heart is set on it and they’re passionate about it.’’

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Destiny follows her dance steps."