Rockettes Rockstars and Rockbottom: An Interview with Keltie Colleen

Buzznet is a creative community that continually thirsts for inspiration-we want the music and the photos and the friends that light a fire inside of us-and we’re always excited to introduce you to people bursting with the potential to do that. We seized the opportunity to get to know Keltie Colleen, a Radio City Rockette who has so many slashes in her talent list it’ll make your head spin– dancer/choreographer/host/writer/adventurer-we could go on.

Back in April of this year we interviewed DIY author Chris Gutierrez, author of 4am Friends and owner of DeadxStop Publishing company. The principles of said company are fueled by sheer grit and soul-baring bravery–it makes perfect sense, then, that on November 25th DeadxStop is releasing Rockettes Rockstars and Rockbottom, a novel by Keltie Colleen.

Keltie Colleen is a tireless dancer, a hopeless romantic, a bubbly, bright-eyed go-getter–and she wrote this book instead of calling Him back. We got to ask her a few questions about her book, her dreams, and all the flaws she’s willing to share so that we can relate.

When did you decide, “OK, this is more than a blog–this is a book”?

I’ve been blogging on highkicksandhighhopes.blogspot.com for over 4 years. My aim initially was to give dancers a place to read about the struggles of dancelife, promote my art as a dancer and because I’m such a hopeless romantic, sometimes my focus turned to my heart. Pieces from past blogs made it into the book but they started as two very separate things. The book began the day after my last epic heartbreak. I started writing down how I felt every morning as a way of reminding myself that each day I would get a little stronger. I would write all the things I felt instead of being that girl who called up her ex to cry on the phone. Instead I was a pathetic sobbing mess to my computer screen! On the 10th day, I went back and started writing about my first epic broken heart instead and it was the best cathartic thing. It was kind of like reminding myself, ” Hey! We’ve been through this before! We will be okay! DO NOT CALL HIM!”

Why did you choose archetypes to represent the rock stars as opposed to just changing the names?

I think when a relationship ends sometimes your feelings stop being about that certain person and more about the memory or feeling you have about that person. The story is not about these fellas at all, the story is about my reactions and feeling towards my SELF when entangled with them, mixed in with the sacrifices of my career path. Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom is not a tell-all. It is an honest look inside what we as women experience when we give our hearts to others and the struggles that we feel when we try to reclaim them afterwards.

You’re releasing this book with Deadxstop Publishing, and Chris is also known for his unabashed honesty–can you see that becoming it’s own genre of writing?

When Chris approached me about publishing Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom I was thrilled. I had been doing the ugly corporate America waltz with all these suits about the book and it felt very yucky. It made sense to release this book with a publisher that I respected that was going to give me the power to tell the story I wanted to tell. Chris is very honest and so am I. People forget the courage it takes to put your story out into the world for people to judge. I doubt we’ll ever see an “honesty” section at Barnes and Noble but in a world of excessive airbrushing and celebrity mis-truths, I think our generation is hungry for something real and true. That’s what I like about Chris’s books and hopefully what people will enjoy about Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom.

Was there ever a point where you suddenly went “Holy crap, am I seriously going to share this with everyone?”

Pretty much everday. I felt like I owed it to my readers to be really honest. Throughout the book I celebrate many of the things I’m proud of, but I’m not afraid to let the reader see my lows. There was a time where I was irresponsible, made a fool of myself, risked my career for parties and booze and I realized that those things were all reactions to not liking myself very much. I hope that the readers can relate and can learn from my mistakes! There are some secrets in the book that I have never shared with anyone before so I’m nervous to put those out into the world. I’ve been sharing little pieces of the book on my facebook page and so far most people seem really open to the stories. Some people hate it and think I’m terrible. I’m totally okay with that. I just love books. I always wanted to write one, and for me that is enough.

You’re a role model to a lot of girls–and yet don’t adhere to the idea that role models have to censor themselves or be ‘perfect’–when/how did you develop this perspective? And did YOUR role models have the same attitude

For me as a woman it is so disheartening to be searching for role models and see the media following girls in jail, with drug problems, or that come from rich families and live these kinds of lifestyles that are so far removed from what most of us actually experience. I live in my apartment with my dog, I work my butt off and I get my heart broken just like everybody else. I don’t like my readers to think of me as a role model, I like to be considered a friend. They help me just as much as I help them. I think flaws are what make people interesting and I am not afraid to show mine, and trust me I have MANY! All of my favorite writers–Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris, Wally Lamb, and Elizabeth Gilbert–bare their insides and that’s what I love about them. Perfect is boring. One of my role models is Tony award winning director/ choreographer Jerry Mitchell. He is such a free spirit and has always been so supportive–I was so honored that he took the time to write such an amazing foreword for my book!

You’re literally living your dream–but what other goals do you have for yourself?

If you came into my apartment you would see one whole wall that is covered with papers and I call it my “manifest wall”. I never thought I would be a Rockette or be dancing at the MTV awards for someone like Taylor Swift. I’ve come to realize that no dream is too big. I would love to turn Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom into a movie, I would love to be an MTV VJ, I would love to be a choreographer on SYTYCD, I am really excited to get on the road for the greatest book tour of all time this fall, I’d love to have a radio show, I would love to buy a house with a yard for Hobo. Anything is possible so …Is there a message you’d want to send out to young women who are struggling with learning to love themselves?

One of my favorite lines from Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom is “Women are amazing creatures who love, live, feel, hurt, hug, laugh, kneel, skip and be. I’m not sure why the universe doesn’t hand out gold medals just for being a woman and deciphering the maze of feelings, emotions, hormones, mirrors and shoulda- coulda-wouldas of everyday life – but it should start. We deserve it.” I wish that I could hug everyone and let them know that no one is perfect. I think the secret of life is to skip through is imperfectly and be okay with that.

Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom is available for pre-order at Deadxstop.com

Learn more about this ambitious girl at her official site:

www.keltiecolleendance.com

BONUS! Keltie is giving away 2 autographed copies of the book + a mantra cuff to two lucky readers.

Entering is as easy as tweeting! All that fans have to do to enter is show some Twitter love to @buzznet and @Keltiecolleen! Send out a positive tweet mentioning @Buzznet and @Keltiecolleen, and you are entered to win! TWO winners will be selected to take home their own autographed copies of Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom! The contest ends on November 15th 2010 — so get to TWEETING!