Shae Colett is Never Far Away

For most of us, finding our passion was not an easy task. Sure, many of you knew what you liked and didn't like, but you probably still struggled to find a way to make a career out of what you love. Most of us switched majors a few times before finally finding that one thing that clicked. But, for a select few, their talents are innate—they are just born to do something. That is the case for Shae Colett.

“Dance and theater is all I ever wanted to do.  I don't think I ever really had any other options,” Colett explains.  She began ballet and tap as a very young child and her adolescent years were spent focusing on tap dancing and musical theater. Her mom was involved in her career from the beginning, serving as her dance teacher, choreographer, and director.  “I took classes in all disciplines but all I ever wanted to do was tap dance on Broadway,” she says.  She spent her first year of college at UW-Stevens Point majoring in tap and she realized her true passion was modern dance, so she decided to transfer to Columbia.

“Columbia has given me training from some of the most respectable dancers, choreographers and teachers in the Chicagoland area,” she says, “They have offered me a wide range of training that many dance schools do not offer. “

A minor in Arts Management, this dancer knows that the ability to market yourself is just as important as the ability to dance. "Don't be shy!” she says, “The more you know, the more work there is for you, so don't turn down opportunities.”  And market herself she did. This past summer, she spent three months in San Francisco working for Joe Goode Performance Group (JGPG) and Flyaway Productions. She trained with Joe Goode and even made a video documentary for Flyaway Productions' Arts and Activism summer workshop.

She also trained in aerial/ harness dance. (That’s pretty cool, right?) “It helped me realize that I am ready to graduate and do this for a living,” she says, “I loved going to work everyday. I craved it, and that makes me ecstatic!”

Her last performance at Columbia, Never Far Away, is part of the Senior Concert Series and explores relationships through love letters and simple notes. “It explores the influence of the written word and the search of figuring out the unknown,” she says.  This thirty-minute piece premiered at the Dance Center December 3 and 4 and was free to all students.

Colett graduates this December and plans to move back to San Francisco to continue her work with JGPG. “I fell in love with the dance scene and people in California so I am excited for this next adventure,” she says, “I do love Chicago though, so someday I hope to return!”

~Liz Olstza
Magazine Journalism