November 2019 proof 7 Castle Pines Connection

Volume 11, Number 12
Sandra Fierro- Andrews dancing her way through life
Sandra Fierro-Andrews has been dancing since falling in love with salsa as a young college student in Colombia. Since moving to Denver she is an active member of the local Latin dance world. Her fellow dancers a ectionately call her the “Salsa queen of Denver. When she isn’t performing at competitions, Fierro-Andrews can be found teaching and dancing at Denver salsa venues throughout the year.
By Carin R. Kirkegaard; photos courtesy of Sandra Fierro
Fresh o her performances at the 7th Annual Denver Salsa and Bachata Congress, Sandra Fierro-Andrews, local Castle Pines resident, found her way to dance through tness in her hometown of Cali, Colombia.
The youngest of three girls, Fierro-Andrews remembers comparing her body image to her older sisters and wanting to nd the tness they had developed for herself. At age 15 using her school lunch money, she joined
a local gym. In the evenings she would participate in back-to-back aerobic classes, eventually becoming the instructor. This was the gig that supported her through college, earning her degree in business administration
“I loved learning the choreography and being in the music,” Fierro-Andrews reminisced.
In the community where she was raised, there wasn’t really any dancing. While she had gone to many traditional shows as a child where Colombian dancers were featured, it was during college that Fierro-Andrews fell in love with salsa dancing.
She would set aside one night a month to head to the outskirts of the city with her friends. At the time, Fierro-Andrews said salsa was considered the past-time of the working class. Most of
the nightclubs were located outside the city in sketchier parts of town. The midnight shows
at these clubs, with the dancers adorned in ashy costumes and high heels, is where Fierro- Andrews started chasing her dream of becoming
In This Issue
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2 a dancer. 7
In 2001, Fierro-Andrews made the move to the
United States, settling in Minnesota. There
she met her husband, Chris Andrews, and gave
birth to their two children, Milena and Ethan. 17 Dancing was always simmering under the
surface and with some encouragement from her
husband, she found a dance team and auditioned.
She made the team and started learning and 23 developing her own style.
When the family moved to Colorado, it was
important for Fierro-Andrews to stay home with
her little ones. She opened a bilingual childcare 27 business in Castle Pines.
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December 2019
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