Our Awesome Staff
Miranda Cordes
Owner, DDA Artistic Director, DYB Executive Director, Ballet, Pointe,
Progressing Ballet Technique, ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level Three
Miss Miranda has extensive professional dance experience as a member of several dance companies throughout the Chicago, IL and Milwaukee, WI areas including Elements Contemporary Ballet, Chicago, IL, Joel Hall II, Chicago, IL, Pastiche Dance Ensemble, Milwaukee, WI, Mathis Locket Dance Company, Chicago, IL, and Beth Fowler Dance Company, Genoa, IL. She trained with the Joffrey Ballet in New York City at age 16 and continued her training in Chicago at Ballet Chicago and the Joel Hall Dance Center, later receiving a scholarship to study Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL. Miss Miranda is a member of the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor. She lives in DeKalb with her family and continues to train and perform as a dancer, while also teaching and inspiring others through her leadership at Dimensions Dance Academy.
Jennifer Edmunds
Adult Ballet
Jennifer Edmunds has been studying dance since grade school, beginning at Ellis Duboulay in Chicago. She continued studying at Gus Giordano and Chicago City Ballet. Jennifer attended Butler University as a dance major for one year, then transferred and graduated from NIU with a B.A. in Dance. After graduating from NIU, Jennifer moved to the east coast and performed with Princeton Ballet and Hamilton Ballet in New Jersey, focusing on Balanchine technique. She also worked with figure skaters and hockey players, teaching ballet classes during their competitive seasons. Jennifer returned to the Midwest and performed with the NIU Alumni Dance Company.
Diana Koranda
Children's Division
Diana Koranda graduated from Northern Illinois University where she received her masters for Speech-Language Pathology. During her undergraduate experience at Augustana College, she was a member and President of Augustana College Dance Company. Diana started dancing at 7 years old at the Rise Dance Company in Schaumburg, IL and has trained in ballet, lyrical, hip hop, jazz and modern dance. She taught dance classes at the Rock Island park district and Davenport Junior Theatre. Diana believes that dance is a form of communication and expression. It is an art and a sport wrapped into one, and the strength it gives you is not just muscular but mental strength as well.
Madelyn Maxwell
Children's Division, Park District Classes
Madelyn Maxwell has been studying dance since the age of three. She began dancing at Dimensions Dance Academy and has continued through high school. Madelyn has studied ballet, contemporary, jazz, and modern dance styles. At age 15, she attended a two-week-long intensive at Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago. With Dimensions Dance Academy Madelyn has performed many roles including Myrtha in Giselle, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Swanhilda in Coppelia, Odette in Swan Lake, and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Madelyn has always had a passion for teaching and choreographing while working in a variety of settings with children of all ages. As she enters college, Madelyn is proud to be attending Northern Illinois University to pursue a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish and Dance.
Melissa Roseberg
Tap
Melissa Roseberg has been dancing and performing since she was 5 years old. She trained in tap, jazz, ballet and acrobatics and loves teaching all levels of dancers. She is currently a member of CNADM (Chicago National Association of Dance Masters) and part of Dance Dimensions' performing Adult Company. Melissa is a Physical Education Teacher at Sycamore High School, Assistant Director of Sycamore Orchesis program, Sycamore High School Musical Choreographer and has her Masters in Adapted Physical Education. Melissa also lends her talents to Stage Coach Players Community Theatre in DeKalb choreographing over 18 productions. Her passions are dance, physical education and wellness and loves to learn and grow in every aspect of life.
Samantha Wootton
Hip Hop, Tap
Samantha Wootton has been dancing for fifteen years with training in tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, modern and hip hop. She began at Artistic Dance at age seven, moving on to Debbie’s Dance Dimensions at age nine where she remained through the transition to Dance Dimensions and now, Dimensions Dance Academy. Throughout those years she has been part of competition teams and traveled to Disney World twice to represent her dance studio as a performing troupe member. She enjoys teaching various dance styles and choreography offered to her at the studio. Samantha is currently taking college courses to earn her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and has had the privilege of designing programs and other artwork for various community events.
Taryn Sarto
Ballet, Jazz, Acro, Lyrical, Hip Hop
Taryn Sarto has been dancing for sixteen years and has trained in an extensive variety of styles, including ballet, pointe, pas de deux, modern, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop, and Pilates. She began her training at the age of six at Beth Fowler School of Dance and continued there through high school as an elite member of the Beth Fowler Dance Company and the BFSD competition team. Taryn was also a member of the Genoa Kingston High School Dance Team, placing third overall in the 1A division at the IHSA State Finals. She then went on to receive her Bachelor of the Fine Arts in Dance Performance with a minor in Rehabilitation Counseling from Northern Illinois University on academic and dance talent scholarships. During her time at NIU, Taryn was given the opportunity to direct and choreograph for many of Northern Dance Theatre’s Student Choreographic Showcases as well as the annual “Art for Life” productions. She also participated in the Penguin Players program for the entire duration of her college career, in which she served as the choreographer for a musical theater organization starring a cast of adults with disabilities.
Mavi Matos
Contemporary
Maria Victoria (Mavi) Matos was born and raised in Venezuela where she began dancing and performing at age 10. While training at Jazz Ballet del Zulia, Mavi studied contemporary, modern, jazz, hip hop and ballet. She also has extensive experience performing, competing and choreographing. Mavi moved to the United States at age 18 and attended the summer intensive 2021 at Ruth Page Center for the Arts. She then stayed on to study with the 2021-2022 Civic Ballet Training Program at Ruth Page. Mavi is thrilled to join the faculty of DDA where she teaches contemporary and choreography for the company.