Interview with Entrepreness Sandra Colton, multi-talented artist making her mark in the Northwest.

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August 27, 2010 by Tina | Comments (0)

An artist, dancer, singer, publisher, author and more – this woman does it all! Sandra Colton, native of Las Vegas and current resident of Portland is a former Laker girl, finalist on the FOX show So You Think You Can Dance?, former backup dancer for Rihanna, author of Book Me!, founder and member of more companies and organizations than we can count on one hand. Did we mention she’s down-to-earth and very personable as well? Read our interview with Sandra as she talks about her multi-faceted career and about her upcoming projects to connect dancers all over Oregon.

Hey Sandra! So great to see you again! I first met you at our CRAVE business chat, Local Inspiration a few months back. What have you been up to since then?
Hey! Since then, I’ve been busy teaching and putting together Dance Track Magazine, a magazine that will debut later this fall! I just finished teaching the Thunderbird Dance Camp where kids from Alaska, Washington and Oregon attended and were taught dance skills and routines. I’ve also been teaching dance four times a week here at a local studio.

You published a magazine in 2008 called Original Girl, which highlights lifestyle, fashion and music tips for young women. What will make Dance Track different from Original Girl?
Dance Track Magazine will be more focused on the commercial dance scene and the career paths dancers can take that is influenced by dance. For example, I interviewed a dancer who became a photographer because she began assisting the photographer on set. I also interviewed a dancer that became a hair stylist because he was so great at styling hair for his friends. Dancers are so creative in many ways, and I want to encourage dancers to try on other hats and apply their creative skills in other ways. There are many opportunities for dancers to be successful and I want them to take advantage of that.

Would you say Dance Track in a way is a reflection of your career? You’re a professional dancer who has toured with Rihanna, danced for the Lakers, writing your book, Book Me!, publishing a magazine, teaching and the list continues…
Dancing has always provided a strong career foundation for me as well as open up amazing opportunities along the way. Each project has led me to another, and each dancer has such a unique story that I want to showcase in this magazine. My end goal is to inspire others to go out there and do what they want to do. Also to take advantage of every opportunity that is given to you to see where the road takes you. My background had also inspired the foundation for my book, where I discuss how to become a successful professional dancer in Hollywood.

Speaking of your background, can you tell me about where you came from and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Des Moines, Iowa and was raised in Las Vegas. My sister and I were dancers and we were on Star Search when I was 12-years-old. We won that season and that was one of my favorite moments of my career because it was my first exposure to the spotlight. Throughout high school, I was a cheerleader and was very involved with student council, and other activities as well. My sister and I would perform at hotels in Vegas as opening acts as well. I was very involved and active in my school and community, which carried on to my college career as well. I went to the University of Oregon in Eugene and made it on the cheerleading team there. That was such a great experience! I majored in Sociology and minored in Journalism instead of the arts because I wanted to try something different and challenge myself.

After college, I moved back to Vegas and landed a job in the XFL, an offseason football league founded by Vince McMahon. Here I was the Communications Coordinator where I had the opportunity to see what it was like on the other side of the business. I would coordinate events, and plan game time events and promotions to get the audience engaged. It was fun and fulfilling to learn the business aspect of what the cheerleaders, dancers, and players were doing rather than being the one performing.

After Vegas, I temporarily moved to New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle before I moved here to Portland. I lived in New York for a few months before I realized that New York wasn’t the place for me. In Los Angeles, I focused on dancing for the Lakers for one season and didn’t take advantage of networking as much as I would have liked to. Seattle was appealing to me because I love the atmosphere of the northwest. In Seattle is where I started Original Girl Magazine and heard about the show, “So You Think You Can Dance?” where I auditioned and became a finalist. From the show, I was blessed with the opportunity to tour with Rihanna among other gigs, which inspired me to write my book and led me to Portland today.

When I first met you at our CRAVE Biz Chat, you mentioned you wanted to get all of the Oregon dancers in one central location to get them networking and collaborating. Currently, Oregon dancers are scattered all over and don’t have as strong of a presence as they could. What are your ideas for changing that?
I created Oregon Dance Network to bring all of the Oregon dancers together and connect them with each other, job opportunities, and dance studios/companies around the state. Eventually I want to open a studio where all dancers are welcome to come learn, practice, and meet in a central location here in Portland. Right now, most of the dance studios are independent and I’m encouraging them to collaborate one another to get the Portland dance scene out there and exposed. I would love to plan events to get EVERYONE in Portland dancing, such as bikers or families for instance so that we ALL can have fun, whether you’re a pro dancer or not.

You have such an inspiring career, where you make your mark and in return help others do the same! As a busy entrepreness, what inspires you to keep going? What has helped you be successful?
Well, I don’t sleep! (Laughs) My boyfriend is forcing me to sleep now so that is eventually getting done. I think for me I have a drive that constantly keeps me going, keeps me fueled to work and try out new ideas. I have so many ideas in my head that my body can’t keep up with me at times. I’m constantly brainstorming and executing these ideas. It’s rewarding to see the final results and that inspires as well. The difference between people who make it and don’t is that those who make it take action while others don’t. If you have an idea you want to happen, try out for American Idol, or land that dream job, the least you have to do is try! Like I always say, “Make your mark, don’t just stand on it!”

www.sandracolton.com
http://twitter.com/sandracolton
http://www.dancetrackmagazine.com/
http://oregondancenetwork.com/

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