Feature On Former Sacramento State Dancer

Painting the town 'Allred'
Student Lindsey Allred leads the dance group for local basketball team, the Sacramento Heatwaves

By Charles Weinstein
Media Credit: Jessica Bright
The State Hornet

When you first meet Lindsey Allred, her features and toned physique might distract you. The former Sacramento State dancer was recently named the dance team choreographer for the Sacramento Heatwaves and has a lot planned for the basketball season entertainment, her life and her love of dance.

This is Allred's first time choreographing for a sports organization and she said she's excited to show the fans what her dance team can do.

"We're all about entertaining the crowd. We know how to keep the energy going," she said.

The Heatwave is similar to the Sacramento River Cats of baseball, only it's basketball, Allred said. The first two games for the team will be home games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 4, Allred said.

The game opener will be held at the Natomas High School Event Center, where Allred she said plans to show the public the Heatwaves' performance-style dance.

"We have a lot of hot and fun routines," she said. "You won't be disappointed."

Dancing is a dream come true for the 24-year-old biological science major, which is obvious from the way she talks about it. She said for her, dancing is doing something words can't describe.

"I really feel like I was dancing in the womb," she said. "It's all natural for me."

Allred started dancing at the age of 2. Throughout her career, she added jazz, ballet, point, hip-hop and lyrical dance to her repertoire.

She also loves to share her experience and passion for dancing with a crowd.

"It allows me to share my excitement for dance with the people," she said.

Allred's long road to success started at Sac State where she was a member of the Sac State dance team for two-and-a-half seasons. For her second season, she earned the team captain position and went on to earn her team a hip-hop national championship.

Allred said it was a huge stepping stone and an experience she would use to build her confidence and leadership skills.

"I wouldn't be where I'm at without it. It really helped me reach my goals for the pros," she said.

Allred got the opportunity to dance for the Heatwave through her former Sac State coach Jolie Roberts. Roberts informed her that the Heatwave was looking for a choreographer and Allred decided to give it a shot.

"I sent my resume and photos and I proposed how I wanted to run the dance team and so they hired me," she said.

Reggie Davis, owner of the Sacramento Heatwave, said he was very excited to have Allred on the team because of her background in dance and because of her drive and determination.

"She proved herself above and beyond our expectations. She's a great dancer and her personality and attitude were right for the job," Davis said. "She's very dedicated and committed to the dance team and we're very fortunate to have her."

Allred said she has many goals for the dance team this season, one of the most important is being more community involved.

"We want to go out there and interact with folks. If I send a girl out in the public and she can't articulate a conversation, then we have a problem," Allred said. "It's not all about the dancing. We're definitely looking for the total package."

The Heatwave dance team consists of 11 girls, and most have different ethnicities and racial backgrounds. But Allred said all the girls on the team have one thing in common: "They're smart and they're hot."

On top of Allred's schedule as head of Heatwave's dance team, she said she is also a full-time student and hopes to attain her pre-med certificate.

"Unfortunately, I can't dance forever. So I want to use my mental capacity to go into plastic and reconstructive surgery," Allred said.

Allred said she also has a part-time job at the Department of Corrections. She spent a year in college as a computer science major and works in the information technology department fixing computers and building databases.

"I just did the computer stuff on the side for extra income," Allred said.

With all the time she spends on dancing and her career, the former Miss Teen Yuba-Sutter doesn't have much time to consider her personal life, which is something she said she wouldn't mind changing.

Aside from dancing, Allred said she loves to stay in shape, visit the beach and spend time with her friends.

She is also single and said the most important characteristic about a man is intelligence. She said she can't stand guys who are arrogant and lazy.

"I'm super independent and I'm super single," she said.

Someone who is just as busy and independent as her is definitely a plus.

"I have a busy life so I need someone who can keep up with me," she said.