Backstage at the Egyptian: Miranda Cordes of Dimensions Dance Academy

Interview with Miranda Cordes, Artistic Director at Dimensions Dance Academy. Interview conducted by Gabe Bueno.

(GABE)Why was Dimensions Dance Academy founded?

(MIRANDA)Dimensions Youth Ballet is in the process of becoming a non-profit organization and will be an extension of Dimensions Dance Academy. Our goal with this Ballet Company will be to offer pre-professional ballet training and performance opportunities to young dancers and to share our passion of the arts with the community.

(G)How long do the students practice their dance routine before performing in front of a live audience?

(M)We rehearse each show for 3-5 months before performing. The dancers meet each Saturday for a full day of rehearsals, as to not interfere with their weekly training classes.

(G)How are teachers selected to teach in your school’s program?

(M)The dance world is a small one and most of our teachers are friends and fellow dancers whom I have known for many years. We do have a couple new additions and these fabulous teachers are initially hired as short term, as we see how their instruction and values merge with our own. Lastly, we occasionally have high school dancers, who after years of assistant teaching and proving their knowledge and commitment, are able to be added to our teaching staff.

(G)What styles of dance are offered at Dimensions Dance Academy? Do the classes offer multiple age ranges?

(M)While we put a strong emphasis on ballet, we offer many different dance styles in order to create well rounded dancers. These styles include; Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Tap, Hip Hop and Acrobatics. We start children at age 3 in our “Twinkle Toes” class and encourage adults of all ages and abilities to join our Adult Ballet and Adult Tap programs!

(G)How are upcoming live performances selected?

(M)For our Winter production we do a classical ballet. In the past these have included Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake and now The Sleeping Beauty. For our Summer production we do more Disney based productions such as Alice in Wonderland or The Little Mermaid, or fun recital themes like “Best of Broadway” and “Around the World.” We definitely like to mix it up!

(G)Does Dimensions Dance academy participate in dance competitions? If so, may you describe the atmosphere at them?

(M)We do have a competition team that attends 3 regional competitions a year and performs at community events. Our attitude toward competitions is not to focus on the trophy we receive, but to look within ourselves and grow as individual dancers. That is the true reward. While we do offer a competition program, we focus most of our energy on theatre productions and community outreach events.

(G)What is it like to dance at the Egyptian Theatre for a young dancer?

(M)We love performing at the Egyptian Theatre! As a young dancer myself who grew up performing there, I know what an exciting and thrilling experience it is to dance in this theatre. I hope that our dancers will grow up to have similar memories as mine.