Hey guys! Well a couple months ago (I believe end of April or beginning of May) I was able to do a phone interview with Dominic Sandoval (who also goes by the name of D-Trix). You may remember him from So You Think You Can Dance and from America's Best Dance Crew as a member of the Quest Crew! He was super nice and it was great talking to him. My interview was recently put onto www.youthink.ca, so that's why I am putting this interview up kinda late. So yeah here's the full interview!
1. So when did you start dancing?
I started dancing February 28, 1999 at a Valentine’s Day dance in 8th grade. Do you need more details on that? Just kidding.
2. What is your favourite style of dance?
Wow, I’d have to say...like, we don’t really have a style, or a name for it, so I guess just improve or free styling like everything all at one. I don’t know what that name is, so I guess we’ll just call it improv.
3. Growing up, did you have all the support from your friends and family to dance and follow your dreams?
Well the majority of my friends, well we supported each other but the thing is, is that we didn’t really have anything to work for, except for maybe breakdance competitions but even then, it wasn’t really something you could make a living off of. My parents didn’t really see much of a future for it, probably also because there weren’t a lot of dance shows back then and it wasn’t as big in the media. So it wouldn’t really sell, so I wouldn’t really make money off it. So we were kind of like shooting in the dark, just dancing in our garages for reasons we don’t even know. And then opportunities like SYTYCD and ABDC definitely helped out the dance community and of course myself and quest crew.
4. So, before Quest Crew, what other dance groups were you in?
Well I’m currently in two other ones as well, but these are the ones I grew up with since around 2001 and 2005 ish. I’m in a world renowned break dancing crew called Flexible Flays. And they are based out of Sacramento. We’ve been around probably around since 1999 as well. I actually got in that crew around 2001, I’d say, maybe 2000. And then I’m also part of an entertainment dance group called Step Boys, so I’m still running with them because it will always be family stuff, but just recently it’s just been more Quest stuff of course.
5. So how long have you all been together as the Quest Crew?
Quest Crew has been together for about 2(3?) and a half years now and I recently joined as soon as I got off of SYTYCD season 3. You know, going through that together, we spent a lot of time together, we became really close friends. Through that, I started training and getting down with Quest in probably about December of 2007.
6. So, since being on So You Think You Can Dance, how was that show different from ABDC?
SYTYCD was more out of the elements so basically I was just making a fool of myself on national TV because I didn’t really know what I was doing. So it’s like every week you get thrown these dances and you only have like a matter of a couple of days or a few days...it’s really hours...Cuz you kinda learn something that you’ve never done before and try to present it to the world hoping that they don’t think you’re as dumb as you feel. Then on MTV it’s more our own art. We definitely came more prepared as far as chemistry with the crew. And just training up to that point so there’s more of what we do. So basically that’d be the big difference: SYT is not really what you do, but you learn a lot and then MTV you finally get to do what you’ve been training for your whole life.
7. So, before auditioning for ABDC, did you have any expectations about what the show was going to be like? If so, was it actually different from what you thought it would be?
It definitely was different because I never thought we would have won, so that was the biggest difference. Since I heard the Beat Freakz were going to be on the show I honestly felt from the beginning that they were going to win. And just because of the reputation that they have, they’re just so amazing I mean, everybody can tell that, you know. So I just felt that as far as being on the show, we were hoping to get on the show and just become memorable so people would remember who we were. Because I think that’s really important. I think that if you’re memorable, then you’ll still be able to do work and show America what you can do, regardless if you win or not.
8. Each week, you were given different challenges, so in your opinion, what was the hardest challenge?
Let’s see. I would have to say…I would say…Hmm….I would have to say magic week was really tough because we kind of got a crappy magic trick…actually we got 2 crappy magic tricks…and then we had a song and we didn’t know how, like… we figured everybody else, no one really caught the fact that we blended all 3 of those ideas together but it was just the thinking behind it probably took 2-3 days so we didn’t really start the piece until a couple days before we had to show it. So I think the little thing about Quest crew is that we always think too much. I don’t know, we think way too much into things, and that one took A LOT of thought process. And that was probably the most difficult to make that stupid money trick and that stupid trick at the end and the music work all together.
9. What was your favourite part about being on the show?
Oh man, ummm… I’d have to say, just being in front of an audience again, being able to perform with my brothers. Because you know when you work for something, we trained for this show for probably about little over a year, probably like a year and a couple months and being able to finally show people what we’ve been working at for that long. That feeling is just a pay off in itself. Win or lose.
10. What was the hardest thing about being on the show?
Um…There’s a lot. Let’s see…Not crying. Yeah that’s probably the hardest one because like I felt like Quest had so much to prove. The girls were really amazing and everybody was really pushing for them to win and a male team has always won so we figured we had to work twice as hard. So, I’d have to say the hardest part was definitely not crying…I don’t know how I got into the other stuff…but yeah, just not crying because…I didn’t want to seem like a wimp on TV. That’s kind of sad, you gotta go back home and all your friends and boys are just making fun of you. So yeah, crying.
11. So do you guys have a favourite routine that you performed?
Yeah. Our…I’m sure it’s everybody in Quest’s…is Orquestra...is the piano piece. And that is basically the ultimate definition of what quest is because we’ve been trying to…there’s so many people in quest, not really myself actually, but everyone else in quest has some type of musical or art talent and it’s something that they’re all so amazing at. Like dance is something that brought us together, but actually there’s other things that people have been working on their whole lives. Like Ryan with his piano, we finally got a chance to put something together that collaborates music and dance, so just that was an honour to do.
12. So it must have been pretty nerve racking at the finale, did you ever think that you guys would make it that far?
We didn’t think so, just to be in the top 2 with the beat freakz, like that was amazing for us. But nerve wracking wise, I don’t know, I think we just, I don’t know, we didn’t expect Quest I guess, we expected Beat Freakz. It’s just so hard because it could have went either way. And we took it as more of a bonus if we won, you know so it’s like we were already in the top 2 so if we win, that would just be a bonus because I felt like with the piano piece and decathalon, which was the week before last, that was enough, I felt, to make Quest memorable so that was the whole goal. So anything after that would just be a bonus.
13. So what were the benefits after being on ABDC?
Um...Clothes. Clothes and food...Food! Like now when we go to restaurants, sometimes the managers recognize us and they give us free dessert. Yeah that’s like the best part, because now we don’t have to pay for dessert! Hmm...benefits? More Myspace friends. Definitely now we get to travel as a crew, you know, like before it was like me and Hok would travel a lot together and some would travel on their own or whatever the case may be. But now we finally get to make a living off dance, off of something we love. Some people in the crew quit school, quit their job, to train for this competition and now we finally get to make a living off of it. Just to know that we get to do that together and our parents are proud of us, like that’s the biggest come up after the show.
14. Being a dancer myself, what advice do you have for teens who want to make it in the dance world?
Umm. I’d have to say with whatever you do, work towards something. And whatever people might say towards that, if it’s positive, then of course you’re going to understand that and accept that. But all the negativity that you’re going to get, because everybody goes through it that’s trying to do something, whether it’s a friend that might be jealous or whether its parents that might not believe in you or whatever the case may be...Take that negative energy that you get and put it towards your art because it’s only going to make you ten times stronger. And I feel like when people have something negative that happened, for example like kids that go through their parents getting divorced and they feel like it’s the end of the world. But if you take that energy and you put it towards your art, you’re going to come out with something extravagant, something you didn’t think you could ever do. So just take the negative energy and turn it as a positive. That’d be my probably ultimate tip.
15. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Making money without having to dance because our bodies are going to be dead and soft. Travelling and still doing stuff with Quest and really I want to see what the piano piece has started for us. I feel like that’s the beginning of something that can be extraordinary. And I want to see what Quest is doing in 5 years altogether as far as putting all those talents together.
16. So what’s next for Quest Crew?
Besides travelling, all I’m going to say is...Christmas Day...Go to the movie theatres...and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel. Visit Questcrew.com and that’ll tell you everything we’re doing.
Check out the full article at :
http://www.youthink.ca/yt/music/interviews/america%E2%80%99s-best-dance-crew-life-after-winning-title
-christinaaa
