Background
Born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, her father was Thomas E. Colby, Professor of German at Hamilton College in upstate New New York
Born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, her father was Thomas E. Colby, Professor of German at Hamilton College in upstate New New York
Colby transitioned to become the full-time dance choreographer for the Top of the Pops dance troupes Pan"s People, Ruby Flipper, Legs & Company, and Zoo (credited as "Dance Director"), from 1972 until 1983. As a child, Colby lived in Clinton and later in Massachusetts. Educated at a school in New Hampshire and Abbot Academy (Andover, Massachusetts), she began attending ballet and other dance classes in Boston and performed in musicals before travelling to London in 1966.
Colby was a founding member in December 1966 of Pan"s People.
After a few changes of line up, by December 1967 the troupe comprised Dee Dee Wilde, Babs Lord, Louise Clarke, Andrea Rutherford and Ruth Pearson. They first appeared on Top of the Pops in April 1968, and became a regular weekly feature in 1969.
They also appeared on several other British Broadcasting Corporation programmes including The Two Ronnies. After 1971, Colby concentrated on choreography for Pan"s People, and then from 1976 with new troupes she put together for TOTP named "Ruby Flipper", "Legs & Company" (both managed by former Pan"s People dancer Ruth Pearson) and "Zoo", for which she was credited by TOTP as "Dance Director".
She also choreographed the rock musical Catch My Soul, and co-wrote an instructional book, Let"s Go Dancing (1979).