kids issue 2018 Featuring Ayo & Teo

amidst the thunderous stomps and
combustive movements of traditional
African dance you?ll find the infectious
smile of Colby Christina. Simonides once
said, ?Dancing is silent poetry,? but Colby
is both poet and rhythmic drum. This
16-year-old protégé is more like a
seasoned artist rather than your average
teen. She?s an actress, advocate, model,
dancer/choreographer, mentor and host
of her own talk show. What?s her secret
to success? It may surprise you. It?s not
trying to become the next Beyonce' or
Oprah. Her recipe for achieving
greatness is striving to be exactly who
she is!
Colby, who grew up in a musically
inclined family, has been dancing since
she was 2 years old. Dancing for her was
inherited. After noticing her love for
music her mother enrolled her in the
same dance academy where she was
trained. ?She took me there because she
had all these boys and never thought
she?d be able to put any of them in a
dance class,? Christina gleefully explains.
?When I was 2 years old I cried so much
in those dance classes. When I got home
you?d think I knew everything about
dance. Those classes helped bring out
another side of Christina. They were also
just the spark she needed to help ignite
all of her other talents. From there she
Written By: Chris Pointe
branched off into singing, modeling and
even off-Broadway theater.
In all, Christina has won over 150
awards. She?s been the National Black
Theater Teen Chair for 2 consecutive
terms and she?s also been the recipient
of numerous other accolades. She was
even a special guest of Oprah Winfrey at
the premier of the television series
Greenleaf. Colby has admittedly had a
lot of support from various people in her
life.
She giggles when asked who is her
greatest influence. It?s the only time she
honestly seems perplexed. ?I have so
many,? she gasps! There are so many
voices in the chorus of her life that have
contributed to her success. All of her
accomplishments are partially the result
of her long list of mentors upon whose
shoulders she stands on. The late
Tommy Ford, former actor of the show
Martin, was a great source of inspiration
and advice for the young starlet.
Having received such mentoring, she?s
become a mentor herself. ?You get to
see another side of the person that you
didn?t get to see when they walked in the
door, Colby expounds when asked why
she loves being a mentor. It?s her way of
giving back. ?I like to think of them as
seeds who come out as fruit.?