Tay Cheesy

If you’ve seen line dancing to southern soul music at a trail-ride party, college football game, or on social media, it’s highly likely that you’ve encountered moves choreographed by Jackson’s own Taylor Akharume, better known as Tay Cheesy. Her viral TikTok videos—full of lively and catchy dance steps—have helped spread the communal joy of line dancing well beyond the South.

The trail ride is a social staple of rural Black America. Organized by social clubs, these events offer an afternoon of riding on horses, dirt bikes, and ATVs through back roads, followed by an after-party full of food, friendship, Western fashion, and line dancing to southern soul and zydeco music. These gatherings have their roots in Louisiana Creole culture as well as the Black cowboy tradition. Black line dancing dates back centuries, connected to African and Caribbean synchronized dances. Some historians connect today’s line dancing to dances done by enslaved Africans in the late 18th century. Thanks to the Harlem Renaissance and subsequently the disco music craze, popular dances such as the Cha-Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, and the Wobble are integral to celebrations, family reunions, and community events. Line dancing brings people together across generations, while fostering community and celebrating Black identity. Southern soul and line dancing have recently exploded into the mainstream thanks to 803Fresh’s “Boots on the Ground.” Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, and countless TikTok users danced to the viral hit, which features both coordinated foot work and the snap and clap of a folding fan.

Growing up between Nashville, Baton Rouge, Memphis, and Jackson meant that Tay Cheesy experienced a wide range of southern cultures. She attended Jackson State University, where as a member of the famed Sonic Boom of the South marching band—playing trombone and choreographing dances—she learned how to quickly create and learn new dances every week. After college she worked as both a dancer and a dance fitness instructor. Her fitness background paved the way to choreographing line dance moves that involve the full body, not just the feet; she does it with a flair that earned her the nickname, “Ms. Make It Look Easy.”

One of Tay Cheesy’s 2025 highlights was choreographing 803Fresh’s landmark performance of “Boots on the Ground” at the BET Music Awards. Recently, she’s been given the keys to the City of Grenada and proclamations from both the City of Jackson and State of Mississippi for her contributions to southern soul and philanthropy. Tay Cheesy often speaks about the importance of being an alumna of an HBCU, and last fall she performed with and choreographed the Sonic Boom’s halftime performance at the Las Vegas HBCU Classic. In pursuit of greater opportunities, she relocated to Atlanta last year. She continues to make viral videos showing dance steps to southern soul crossover hits like EJ Jones’s “Gas Station Love,” and recording her own music like the song “Backwood Slide.” Tay Cheesy also launched a southern soul line dance and artist interview TV show called 106 & Dance in honor of BET’s former 106 & Park program. She describes her show as “having a cookout at home.” Recently she was invited to bring line dancing to Ghana. “Songs have different languages,” she told EURWeb, “but everyone can understand a dance move.”

At the 83rd National Folk Festival, Tay Cheesy will be joined by a DJ, teaching her latest moves to both trail ride regulars and people who have never line danced before.