Glory Days, living in the young girl's eyes...

gendance was created by young entrepreneurs.  That’s right.  We’re a team of 20-somethings (well 1 of us is 30, but let’s not talk about that) and we’re so proud to be developing this online magazine for you.  These are our ‘glory days’.  gendance was built to provide a ‘lens’ to dance hipsters by showcasing our friends, colleagues and business owners that are taking dance pop culture and their careers by the horns.

We’ve bragged about leaders like Gregg Russell and his company, 3DD Network, as well as Marc Levine and Marc Miller’s infamous, Scene Interactive.  How do we make our dreams a reality at such a young age?  What makes our brands stand out most?  gendance gives you fresh answers to these questions every week.  Today, we present Candice Thompson of LOLAstretch-young entrepreneur and fashion-fabulous star at age 27.  Candice has owned LOLAstretch for 3 years, but has been designing since 2001.  Isn’t it amazing that we’re all doing this as 20/30-somethings?  Are we inspiring you yet?

‘To the left, to the left’ is Candice’s most recent photo shoot for the ’09 LOLAstretch calendar showing her up-to-the-minute styles: the Sputnik Sweetheart and Sputnik 2.  Candice thinks outside the box.  Never once has her brand looked the same as anyone else’s in the market.  In fact, she’s about to break the mold this year by promoting her styles to a much broader audience.

When we asked her about why she chooses alternative marketing ideas, especially with her photography, she said, “I want all of my images to reflect the true company mission of being whimsical and unique.  Getting dressed for class should be fun.”

We also asked what it means to be a young entrepreneur in this vast dance industry: “It means a lot of hard work, multi-tasking and many, many, many long hours!  Doing it yourself is not for those without moxy.”

So there you have it folks.  The trend forecast for this week looks like it’s going to be a little passionate with showers of youth and determination.  Congratulations, Candice, for being a rock star!  Know someone that’s starting a trend?  Tell us at trendme@gendance.com.