Dakota René was born on June 21, 1987 during summer solstice in Santa Monica, California. In her first years of life, Dakota worked as a model in Hollywood and Chicago with her mother New York model Suzanne Mitchell.
In 1990 Dakota traveled the world with her father musician Robby Romero, meeting dignitaries such as the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Mikal Gorbachev. That same year Dakota appeared in the award-winning "Native Children's Survival" music video series, which had its worldwide television debut from the Kremlin during the Global Forum Of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders in Moscow.
On May 21, 1992 Dakota graduated from Taos Pueblo's Head Start program. She traveled to South America for the United Nations Earth Summit performing with an international children's choir. While in Brazil, Dakota appeared in Life Magazine with a delegation of Indigenous Peoples as part of a historic photography shoot.
In 1994, Dakota joined Santana and Red Thunder at the critically acclaimed concert event for the endowment of the American Indian Traditional Circle of Elders and Youth. Later that year she moved to Hollywood to study dance, theater, and to begin elementary school.
Dakota René hit the road with the H.O.R.D.E. Festival 1995 summer tour, a Blues Traveler founded festival that came to define a genre of explosive live performances and intense fan loyalty, the Blues Traveler fall tour, and again with the H.O.R.D.E. Festival in 1996, singing and dancing with Red Thunder, Blues Traveler, Natalie Merchant and Rickie Lee Jones. Following the music tours, Dakota returned to Hollywood landing a role in the theatrical performance of "GODSPELL".
In 1997 while studying acting with coach Richard Brander, Dakota joined the theatrical group "Broadway Bound" playing the lead in several productions including Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" and Rosie in "Bye Bye Birdie".
In 1998 Dakota graduated from Carpenter Elementary School. That same year she earned the lead in the indie film short "Hidden Medicine" produced by Roland Joffé. "Hidden Medicine" premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and went on to air in the "Best of The Sundance Film Festival" series on Sundance Channel.
While in junior high school, Dakota played live with the band Unknown in the Los Angeles area, and lead her Junior Varsity Cheerleading team to the state championship. In 2001, she graduated from West Valley Jr. High School, began vocal training under Seth Riggs, and enrolled in Laurel Springs School to begin her Independent High School Study program.
During her high school years, Dakota crafted and recorded her unique version of Marvin Gay and Diana Ross's hit single, "My Mistake", which was featured in the rockumentary film "America's Last Frontier". "America's Last Frontier" premiered on SABC Africa during the 2002 United Nations World Summit in South Africa and the soundtrack was released in 2003 on Eagle Thunder Records.
In 2004 Dakota began to study piano and music theory with Todd Cochran, and made her singing debut in a solo performance at the Dennis Banks Holiday Show on the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota.
With a 4.0 grade point average, Dakota graduated from Laurel Springs in 2005, and entered college at LMU to major in music. She performed live at the Sacred Run 2006 Benefit Concert Celebration of Land, Life and Peace at StudioZ in San Francisco, CA…a concert that was recorded live. Dakota's performance was released in 2006 on the CD entitled "Sacred Run".
In 2007 Dakota René was invited to sing and perform with Robby Romero, Peter Maffay, Zola and Tsipi Mashid on the acclaimed "Encounters II" Tour in Europe. On this 15 City Arena tour Dakota sang in three languages; and that summer while continuing her education in Paris, France, Dakota joined Carlos Santana, Robby Romero, Peter Maffay, Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens), Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Mikhail Gorbachev, and President Shimon Peres in a Concert for Peace in Bochum, Germany. Dakota had the distinct pleasure of performing with and signing Carlos Santana's classic hit "Oye Como Va". The proceeds of the Peace Concert supported the humanitarian projects of the MILAGRO Foundation in San Francisco, and the Desmond Tutu PEACE CENTER in South Africa.
Dakota René graduated from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, California, with a B.A. in Music in May 2009. Just before her graduation, the LMU music department presented Dakota in a “Senior Classical Vocal Recital”. With accompaniment from the piano, harpsichord, and classical guitar, Dakota sang in six languages with styles ranging from baroque to modern. The music selections included pieces by J.S. Bach, Manuel de Falla, George Gershwin, and more.
Currently Dakota René is in pre-production on her self-titled debut CD. With both Native and Latin American roots, she has spent the summer perfecting the right combination of sounds that capture the soul of her multi-cultural background and upcoming debut CD. For more information please visit: www.dakotarene.com
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