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Makya Griffin is a dancer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is formally the Head Drill Master and then Captain of the Dancing Dolls, alongside Crystianna Summers.
Personal Life[]
Makya Shanell Griffin was born on June 28, 2001 in Jackson, Mississippi to Pamela Griffin and her father. She has a cousin, Ti'ara 'Moosie' Gibson, who is the captain of the Purple Diamonds and featured in the episode The Sister Showdown.
Makya attended Alcorn State University from 2019-2023. During her time there, she joined the universities dance team, the Golden Girls, where she became the Co-Captain for 2023-24. She gained the nickname Golden Tsunami. She graduated from the university and team in December 2023. She attended the university alongside Tanesha, Crystianna, Star, and Sky.
After graduation, she now runs a dance team with Tanesha called Golden Storm, which began in 2024.
During Bring It![]
Season 2[]
After Zatia is struggling in class, Dianna asks Makya if she thinks Zatia is improving. Makya says no which leads to Zatia getting cut.
Makya tries out for the hip hop trio but she is not chosen.
The Dolls audition to be one of the five leads in the creative dance and Makya successfully gets one of the lead positions. The team get second place in the creative dance category.
The team are auditioning for a scholarship for DeSales university and Makya is one of the girls that auditions for them. She does not get awarded a scholarship.
The Big Apple and the Bitter Apple
Dianna takes six girls to New York City for three days to work with choreographer Tanisha Scott. Makya is one of the girls Dianna brings on the trip. Meanwhile, the Dolls are doing cuts for the trio and Makya is chosen to be in the trio with Crystianna and Camryn. The girls then leave for New York and they enjoy their class with Tanisha. However, due to their flight being delayed, the trio is pulled from the competition.
During the stand battle, the Dolls attempt the human staircase stunt and Makya climbs the "staircase". One of the girls making the staircase slips and thus Makya falls off the top.
Season 3[]
On the day of the competition, Dianna chooses five girls to take part in the call-out round; Makya, Camryn, Crystianna, Makalah, and Ken'Janae. Makya wins her round.
After Crystianna withdraws from her solo due to an injury, Makya is chosen as her replacement. She initially struggles with the choreography but she performs well at the competition. Her solo wins first place in the competition.
The team begin auditions for the solo at the Battle Royale this week and Makya successfully auditions and makes it to the final six.
The team continue the auditions for the solo for the Battle Royale and Makya makes it to the final three.
During the girls' practice for the creative dance, Miss D notices that Makya is favouring one knee over the other. Makya admits that her leg hurts and she wants to sit out the auditions for the Battle Royale solo.
Makya is chosen to be in the call-out round along with four other girls. She is the first girl to battle against a dancer from the Divas of Compton and she wins.
Miss D chooses Makya to take part in the freestyling round this week. She wins her round in the semi-finals and the Dolls move on to the finals. As the Divas of Dance only have four girls who progressed to the finals, Miss D must choose four of her six girls to compete in the finals. Makya is one of the four girls that is chosen but she loses her round. The Dolls win the freestyling battle.
Scholarship Dreams and Dating Nightmares
The Dolls are performing in a showcase for the Satin Dolls of Mississippi Valley State University and one of the girls will be awarded a scholarship. The girls perform their showcase and the judges choose the top five dancers, one of which is Makya. She performs a solo however, the judges choose Daija for the scholarship.
The competition this week has a creative dance trio and Dianna has decided that she will have three trios in their creative dance. Each trio will perform using a different dance style and the hip hop trio features Makya, Ken'Janae, and Angela. The team get second place in the competition.
During the finals for the stand battle, Makya makes some mistakes.
Makya suffers from an asthma attack during the creative dance performance and she is taken off the stage. She manages to make it back for the stand battle.
Season 4[]
On the day before the competition, Miss D wants to see Makya and five other girls audition for the freestyling portion of the competition. Makya, Ken'Janae, and Makalah are chosen for the freestyling round.
On the day of the competition, Makya performs last and wins her round.
Makya and the other girls who were on the Bring It! Live Tour attend a Beyoncé concert in New Orleans. She all makes it to the final fifteen girls who will participate in the choreographer's challenge. At the competition, she does not win the choreographer's challenge.
Makya performs in the final round of the call-out round and she wins.
Makya is chosen to perform in the freestyling round of the competition where each round will have a specific genre. Makya is chosen for the majorette category but she loses to a dancer from Virtuous Divine.
There is a duet this week and Miss D wants to showcase a genre of dance that is not majorette. Four girls audition for the duet, one of them being Makya. She auditions using a hip hop routine however, Faith and Daija are chosen for the duet.
The competition this week is between the Jackson Dollhouse and the Birmingham Dollhouse and there will be a baby call-out round. Makya, Makalah, and Camryn are asked to coach three of the Baby Dancing Dolls for the competition. Makya coaches the Baby Doll, Half Pint. Kayla asks to see the progress the Baby Dolls are making and Half Pint is unable to perform as she is too nervous. Kayla sends Makya and Half Pint away to do more practice.
Kayla, Camryn, Torrey, and Makya later work with Half Pint in the locker room in hopes of increasing her confidence. They encourage Half Pint as she dances and she feels a lot better about performing.
Half Pint wins her round of the baby call-out round which makes Makya happy.
The team are holding try-outs for the mirror-mirror challenge and the girls are auditioning in pairs. Makya auditions with Tanesha and she is chosen, alongside Makalah and Faith, for the call-out round.
She competes in the second round of the semi-finals of the call-out battle and she wins her round against a dancer from A Girls Dance Team. The final round is against Xplosive Dance Company and Makya wins her round.
Makya is cut in the second round of the choreographer's challenge.
Makya and Makalah are auditioning together for the mirror-mirror challenge this week and they both battle well. They both get chosen to compete in this category at the competition, along with Tanesha.
At the competition, Makya competes in the final round against the Purple Diamonds and the Elite Starz of Nashville. She loses to a dancer from the Purple Diamonds.
The girls are auditioning for a scholarship at the Broadway Dance Center and Makya is one of the auditionees. They go through intensive classes before the audition. Makya makes it through the technique audition and the commercial dance audition. The final audition is the solo and Makya is the last to perform and the judges love her choreography. She is awarded the summer intensive program scholarship.
The girls start auditioning for the solo at the Battle Royale where they are asked to come up with a 60-second storytelling routine. Makya makes it into the final six.
The final auditions for the solo in the creative dance at the Battle Royale begin but Makya is not chosen. The creative dance is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed and Makya is given the role of Veruca Salt.
The Dolls are given a challenge by Todrcik Hall to create a routine for a song from his musical Straight Outta Oz. The Dolls are split into two teams with one led by Camryn and the other led by Crystianna. Makya is in Crystianna's team and she is cast in the role of the Cowardly Lion. Crystianna's team wins Todrick's challenge and is invited to perform their routine on stage with him at his show in Atlanta.
The girls are auditioning to go to the national competition and they have three intensive classes beforehand; a jazz intensive, a lyrical intensive, and a hip hop intensive. The girls are put in groups to audition and Makya is in a group with Faith and Angel. She goes through the three auditions and is chosen as one of six girls who are going to the national competition.
Season 5[]
If You Can't Stand The Heat...
Due to Camryn graduating from the team at the end of the season, Dianna is on the lookout for the new captain of the Dancing Dolls. She has six potential captains in the running; Makya, Crystianna, Princess, Kanarie, Shakira, and Daija. Makya is chosen to lead the team this week.
During stand battle practice, Makya is told she needs to come up with choreography for a stand and she is having trouble doing this. Miss D feels nervous about Makya leading the team.
On the day of the competition, Miss D tells Makya that her role is important for the stand battle and that they set the tone for the rest of the team. Camryn comes to check in on Makya and she worries about forgetting the stands and throwing off the team. Camryn gives her a motivational talk and encourages her to be herself.
The stand battle is about to begin and Miss D notices that Makya is having an asthma attack. She stops the stand battle from starting and tries to calm her down. The medics check on her and Makya uses her inhaler and she feels ready to start the battle. By the end of the battle, the parents and Miss D are proud of Makya. The team win second place and Miss D throws away the second place trophy in anger.
Makya is given the captain role again this week as her cousin (stated as her sister during the show) is the captain of the Purple Diamonds. They will compete in the answer stands together and Makya is struggling with taking the lead. This worries Miss D.
The next day, Makya and her cousin, Ti'ara, are getting driven to practice by Makya's mother. Ti'ara tells Makya about her winning streak in stands and Makya says she will win this week. Ti'ara says perhaps Makya will have beginners' luck this weekend.
At practice that evening, Makya is struggling to become a leader and she feels she has lost her confidence.
The day after, Makya is still struggling to lead and Dianna pulls her aside to check on her. Makya feels stressed and she is bothered by her loss last week. After a talk with Dianna, she returns to practising for stands and she feels slightly more confident.
On the day of the competition, Miss D gives Makya a pep talk before the stand battle. They battle the Elite Starz of Nashville and Makya throws a stand where she has a solo and the Baby Dolls are dressed as cookies. The Dolls win this round and move on to the finals against the Purple Diamonds. The Purple Diamonds begin the answer stands where a dancer comes out with a sign that says "Makya vs. Moosie". After that stand, Makya throws their answer stand where Madyson (a former member of the Purple Diamonds) has a solo. The Dolls win the answer stands.
Before practice begins, Dianna calls aside a group of girls and Makya is one of these girls. There has been a text incident where some of the girls on the team have been insulting Princess and Miss D in a group text chat. Makya and Crystianna questioned Miss D's decision to let Princess lead one of the groups for the creative dance this week. Dianna says they do not respect her and everything she has done for them. She places Makya, Crystianna, and Kanarie on probation for the captain's position.
The three girls are taken off probation for the week as the Dolls are participating in a charity event for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. The six potential captains audition for the call-out round along with Jaylene. Makya is not chosen.
Makya, Crystianna, and Kanarie are back on probation this week.
Miss D tells the three girls on probation that they are to remain on it and that they have not done anything in the past three weeks to show her that they want to be the captain of the team. If they do not prove themselves this week, they will be out of the running.
A couple of days later, Makya, Crystianna, and Kanarie meet up with Mimi and Valisa so they can brainstorm ideas to get back in Miss D's good books. Makya makes some suggestions but Mimi does not like them. They eventually decide to ask the team to write letters to Miss D about things they appreciate about her and they will attach them to a potted tree and gift it to Dianna.
Later that evening, Makya gathers the girls and asks them to write letters to Miss D. The notes are then tied to the tree that they bring into the Dollhouse.
After the end of the competition, the girls present Dianna with her gift. Makya, Kanarie, and Crystianna make speeches for the team. Dianna appreciates the gesture but she still needs time to think about whether she will take the girls off probation.
Makya, Kanarie, and Crystianna are taken off probation.
All six potential captains audition to participate in the captain's battle but Makya does not win the part.
All six potential captains audition to lead the battle squad but Makya is not chosen.
Dianna narrows down the list of potential captains from six to three; Makya, Crystianna, and Princess. The three girls are placed in a trio. The trio wins first place.
Makya and Crystianna are the last two potential captains in the running. The Dolls are split into two teams with each potential captain leading a team. The competition this week will have Makya's team battling Crystianna's team. Tina is mentoring Makya's team and her team is sent to a different dance studio to practice.
Later that evening, Tina does not think that Makya is leading her team well as she is allowing the other girls to make too many decisions. Tina speaks to Makya about this and Makya returns to her team and takes control. Dianna arrives to observe her practice and she feels Makya is better than Crystianna at this point.
On the second day of practice, Makya chooses JJ as their 'out-of-the-box'-element. Makya has created a new stand involving the girls making a canon dance move which she has called "Tick Tick Boom", after her nickname. The team are struggling with it and Tina feels unsure about the move.
On the third day of practice, her team continue to practice their stands until they feel confident and then they stop. Tina asks if they are sure they want to stop practising as Dianna is on the way and Makya is sure. 40 minutes later, Dianna arrives and she speaks to Tina. Tina fills her in on what has occurred and Dianna is not happy. Makya tells Miss D that they have run through their stands and are confident with them and Miss D tells them off and walks away. Makya starts to cry.
On the day of the competition, Makya gives her team a pep talk and tells them to forget about their struggles from the first day. Makya and Crystianna shake hands before the start of the competition and Makya's team perform first. Miss D likes Makya's first stand and how she utilises the more technical dancers like Jaylene, Daija, and Faith. In her next stand, she uses JJ which the crowd loves and they they perform their "Tick, Tick, Boom" move and Dianna's jaw drops.
The captain's battle begins and Makya is the first to perform, Dianna likes how original her performance is. At the awards ceremony, Makya wins the captain's battle and Crystianna wins the stand battle. Dianna congratulated both teams and announced that she would announce the captain of the team next week as both teams won one category and each team had their failings as well.
The team are doing an Egyptian-themed creative dance this week and both Crystianna and Makya are playing the role of Cleopatra. They will perform the same choreography throughout the routine.
The team move on to practicing for the stand battle and Makya and Crystianna will each lead stands in the semi-finals and Camryn will lead the battle squad in the finals. Makya will lead the medium stand and Crystianna will lead the fast stand. Makya is doing a good job at teaching and coaching the other dancers and Miss D is impressed.
At the competition, Makya leads her stand well and the Dolls make it to the finals. After winning the stand battle, the team returned to the dressing room. Dianna announces that both Makya and Crystianna will be the captains of the team.
Makya is assisting Crystianna with leading the team during practice at the start of the week. The day before the competition, Crystianna, Dianna, and Makya are not present at practice. After Dianna enters the Dollhouse, she gathers the team and announces that Makya has been hospitalised with a fever due to strep throat. It is also announced that Crystianna will not be coming to practice as she has gotten on a plane to go to an appearance with her mother. The team are upset by both of these pieces of news and almost pulls out of the competition.
Later that evening, as the girls continue practising for the stand battle, Makya shows up to practice. She is coughing. She states that she wants to be there to support her team and Miss D thanks her for coming. Her presence makes the girls feel better knowing she has shown up despite being ill. She attends the competition as well and watches her team win.
So You Think You Can Choreograph?
The four seniors of the team are tasked with choreographing trios and Miss D will choose which trio will be competed at the competition. On the second day of practice, each of the trios performs and Makya discusses the merits of each team with Dianna and Marquell. They choose Camryn's team and her trio wins.
After an announcement that Crystianna will not be returning to the Dollhouse for the rest of the season, Makya is feeling nervous about leading the team without her.
A Boy, A Kiss, And A Choreographer
There is a duet at the competition this week and Miss D splits the team up into pairs who will audition to compete their duet at the competition. Makya and Tanesha pair up and decide to base their duet on the majorette dance style from Alcorn State University. Their duet is not chosen by Dianna.
Makya successfully auditions to be in Faith's music video.
Makya and a few other girls begin practising for the Bring It! Live Tour this week.
During practice, the parents notice Kanarie is leading and not Makya and they are confused as to why. Later in the week, Makya is back to leading practice for the team. When the team win the competition, Makya gets up to accept the trophy.
Makya, Princess, and Crystianna perform their American football-themed trio from Three's a Crowd on the Bring It! Live Tour.
Trivia[]
- She has the nickname 'Tick Tick Boom'.
- She and Tanesha had a Youtube channel together.
- Her cousin is the former captain of the Purple Diamonds.
- She has asthma.