Dimensions Staff
Dimensions Dance Academy teachers have college degrees in teaching and performing arts and years of professional dance experience.
Miranda Cordes
Owner and Artistic Director
Dimensions Youth Ballet Founder and Executive Director
Instructor: Ballet and Pointe
Miss Miranda began her journey at age 8 with Debbie’s Dance Dimensions in Dekalb, IL before transferring to the Beth Fowler School of Dance in Genoa, IL at age 12. At age 16 Miranda started her professional dance training with the Joffrey Ballet of New York before transitioning to Ballet Chicago and Joel Hall Dance Center. She has extensively performed with dance companies throughout the Chicagoland and Milwaukee areas including Elements Contemporary Ballet, Joel Hall II, Pastiche Dance Ensemble, and Lavender Cabaret. In 2006 Miranda returned to Dekalb on scholarship to study with the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University before assuming ownership and overseeing the transition of Debbie’s Dance Dimensions, from the original location on 7th and 38th, to Dimensions Dance Academy (DDA) at the current location on 1st and 38th. Miranda is a member of the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters (CNADM) and has earned teaching certifications in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), Acrobatic Arts, and American Ballet Theater’s national training curriculum levels pre-primary to 3. Miss Miranda continues to train and perform as a dancer while teaching and inspiring others through her leadership at DDA and Dimensions Youth Ballet.
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Taryn Sarto
Dimensions Youth Ballet Assistant Director
Competition Team Director and Choreographer
Instructor: Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, and Jazz
Miss Taryn has extensive dance training in a wide variety of styles, including ballet, pointe, pas de deux, modern, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop, and Pilates. She began training at age 6 with the Beth Fowler School of Dance (BFSD), continuing through high school as an elite member of the Beth Fowler Dance Company and the BFSD competition team. Taryn has also competed as a member of the Genoa Kingston High School Dance Team, achieving 3rd place overall in the 1A division at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Finals. Through academic and dance scholarships, Taryn graduated from Northern Illinois University (NIU) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a minor in Rehabilitation Counseling. As a member of NIU’s College of Visual and Performing arts, Taryn directed and choreographed for Northern Dance Theatre’s Student Choreographic Showcases, the annual “Art for Life” productions, and was the choreographer for Penguin Players, a musical theater organization starring a cast of adults with disabilities. Miss Taryn continues to pursue her dance career as a teacher, choreographer, and director at Dimensions, where her passion is cultivating a supportive environment to help her students grow and achieve their full potential.
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Kenzie Brandon
Instructor: Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Tumbling, and Children's Division
Competition Team and Ballet Honors Choreographer
Kenzie Brandon is a dance artist originally from the Salt Lake City area in Utah. Growing up, Kenzie was a competitive gymnast before finding a love for dance in high school. She joined a competitive dance team in Utah for 3 years before being accepted into Grand Canyon University's Department of Dance for her undergraduate degree. As of April 2024, Kenzie has a BA in Dance and a BS in Sport/Performance Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Currently, Kenzie is a Masters student at Northern Illinois University, working towards her MS in Sport/Performance Psychology in the KNPE program. Kenzie has been teaching dance since she was 16 years old, and is passionate about fostering both technical and artistic growth in her students. Alongside teaching, Kenzie is a dance photographer and filmmaker.
Blair Vaudelle
Instructor: Ballet, Pointe, and Children's Division
Ballet Honors Choreographer
Blair was born in Houston, Texas and began training and performing with Cookie Joe, a student of Patsy Swayze. She later studied ballet with the Houston Ballet Academy, The Dallas Metropolitan Ballet School and the Atlanta School of Ballet. She was invited to attend ballet class at Northern Illinois University, at the age of 14, while training and performing with the Rockford Dance Company. She studied ballet at the University throughout her high school years and went on to receive her B.F.A in Dance Performance there after graduation. Professionally, Blair has worked with Ballet Nouveau (Colorado), Ballet Deviare (NYC), the Sarasota Ballet of Florida, and guested with the Civic Ballet of the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, the Faubourg Ballet, State Street Dance Studio, and Alma Ballet. She currently lives in Sycamore, Illinois and has been teaching dance for over 20 years. Blair has experience in teaching all styles, including a season working as a Universal Dance Association Instructor for Dance Teams. She is most proficient in Ballet and Contemporary styles and is the former Artistic Director of the Studio of Classical and Contemporary Dance. In 2015, Blair was honored with the opportunity of a Visiting Professor Position at Northern Illinois University, teaching Ballet and setting Contemporary Ballet works.
Melissa Roseberg
Instructor: 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. 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 and has choreographed over 30 productions. Her passions are dance, physical education, and wellness.
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Val Garver
Instructor: Tap
A Nebraska native, Val Garver fell in love with dancing when she joined a children’s modern dance program at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. At age 10 she started ballet at the Evelyn Quick Dance Studio before transitioning to the School of the Omaha Ballet. Later she began studying and teaching folk dance. In 2007, she took her first tap class at Debbie’s Dance Dimensions in DeKalb, IL. It immediately became her favorite style of dance. Val loves how tap brings together dancers of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. She especially enjoys helping young tappers grow in confidence and ability. She tries to model a willingness to learn new things by continuing her own dance education at DDA as well as at NIU.
Lydia Carpenter
Instructor: Ballet and Pointe
Lydia Carpenter received her BFA with an emphasis in dance performance from Northern Illinois University under the direction of Judith Chitwood, Autumn Eckman, Paula Frasz and Richard Grund. Prior to graduating, she had extensive training in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz and other various styles. Lydia trained at numerous dance schools and intensives, including Faubourg School of Ballet, State Street Dance, The Art of Classical Ballet, BalletMet, Ruth Page Center for the Arts, and several others. She also performed as a company member with Elements Contemporary Ballet in Chicago for a season and enjoyed the performing aspects and connections made throughout the process. Lydia’s has always had a passion for teaching and enjoys the process of helping students grow as a dancer and individual. Outside of the studios, Lydia works in Cybersecurity and Compliance bringing the same attention to detail, commitment, and dedication to continuous growth that she brings to teaching. Her goal is to create an encouraging environment where students build confidence while developing their skills and pursue their goals with gratitude and enthusiasm.
Alyssa Ziegler
Instructor: AstroCheer and Tumbling
Coach Alyssa grew up in a small town in New England, much like DeKalb, where she began dancing and training in acrobatics at 6 years old. She learned her first back handspring at age 10 in a one-room dance studio, then continued learning multiples in backyards, basements, and wherever she could find space to practice. Everything changed when she discovered cheerleading at age 12... thank you, Bring It On! Cheer transformed her skills, confidence, and future in the sport. That experience became the foundation for what AstroCheer is today: creating an environment where athletes can discover what they are capable of, build confidence, and fall in love with cheer. Coach Alyssa went on to cheer all four years at Southern Connecticut State University, where she was part of a National Championship-winning team. After graduating, she immediately stepped into a coaching role as an assistant coach at the university. She then returned to New Hampshire, where she coached her high school cheer team to six consecutive state championships. Most recently, Coach Alyssa has coached the DeKalb Junior Barbs, helping bring the program to Pop Warner Nationals for the first time in program history in each of the past two consecutive years. The team went on to narrowly miss a National Championship last year, finishing less than 3 points away... but who's counting? Coach Alyssa is a firm believer that there is no confidence quite like FLIP confidence. Meaning, when you can do a flip you approach the world differently... a little taller and braver... a little more belief that YOU can do the hardest things!
Faith Conrad
Instructor: AstroCheer and Tumbling
Bio coming soon! ...