Dance Creations

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

No better way to finish off our 2026 Senior Spotlights than with Jael Lamarque!

Jael has been dancing since the age of 3 and started competing at Dance Creations when he was 6. He is graduating from Monte Vista this year and plans to attend Pace University in New York City to pursue a BFA in Commercial Dance. He hopes to pursue dance professionally afterwards, dreaming of touring professionally with an artist and eventually pursuing teaching full-time.

One of his favorite memories was placing first overall for the first time with his solo “The King’s Queen,” shoutout to Hannah Curry for choreographing it. Two of his favorite dances of all time would include “I Wanna Know” choreographed by Hannah Curry and “The Plastics” choreographed by Guynemer Caceres both ending his senior season.

Jael enjoys being able to perform for others and loves to entertain with his tap solos (placing in the top 5 consistently during this season). He clearly favors tap as his style of choice as he also started to teach tap this year.

If Jael could give one piece of advice to other dancers, he would recommend putting yourself out there, even if you aren’t 100% confident, as so many opportunities can be presented when taking risks that you wouldn’t think are possible.

Fun fact about Jael: He was also dual-enrolled at Simi Valley High School as a member of the SVHS Dance Team for 4 years getting to be a part of the first-ever competitive team at WCE regionals back in 2023 as well as being one of the first-ever members to attend WCE Nationals this past semester.

Jael would like to thank all of his teachers at DC for helping him grow not just as a dancer, but as a person. He’s deeply grateful to his friends for filling the journey love and laughter, and to his family and parents for supporting him through all the highs and lows along the way.

Jael, we are so proud of you and your outstanding commitment to what you do. We are so excited to watch you step into this new chapter of your dance career and wish you only immense success. We will miss having you as both a student and teacher, but your DC family will always be here! We love you so much Jael! 💙

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

Next up for our 2026 Senior Spotlights is Emily Carieri!

Emily is graduating from Oaks Christian High School. In the fall, she will be attending Suffolk University in Boston, MA. Majoring in Business Management with a minor in Sports Management! Over the next few years she hopes to be traveling and meeting new people!

Emily has been dancing for fifteen years and has been competing for thirteen years. She has loved her ten years at DC with her favorite memories being learning dances from Miss Char. Fun fact- Miss Char was her first ever dance teacher!

One of Emily’s favorite dances she has been in is “The Plastics” by Guynemer Caceres. It truly made her senior year even more special! Her favorite style is contemporary but has always loved jazz. She is so grateful for every single one of her teachers and cannot thank them enough for the roles they have played in her life.

Advice to younger dancers is to develop friendships and just have fun! Enjoy it because it will go by very quickly.

Emily, we are so beyond proud of the strong resilient person you have become. We are so grateful to have watched you grow up over the years and we cannot wait to see you grow even more into your future! We are going to miss your positive and kind heart at the studio so so much. Your DC family loves you! 🤍

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

Next up for our 2026 Senior Spotlights is Ella Page!

Ella is graduating from Royal High School this year and will be attending Moorpark College for two years before transferring to CSUN, to study psychology. She plans to continue pursuing her dance career while working toward her goal of becoming a dance teacher and choreographer.

Ella began dancing at the age of four and started competing when she was eight. One of her favorite dance memories was winning 3rd overall at AOM Nationals in 2025 with a self-choreographed solo. Dance has always been a part of her life, largely thanks to her sister, Abbigail Hoogveld, who inspired her love for performing. Over the years, Ella developed a deep passion for expressing her emotions through dance.

Her favorite styles of dance are contemporary and jazz, and her favorite performance with the DC team was “The Plastics”, choreographed by Guynemer Caceres. Although she was only a member of the DC team for three years, Ella feels that the DC family truly welcomed her and gave her a place where she felt supported, valued, and loved. She is incredibly grateful to her teammates and teachers for encouraging her throughout her dance journey and helping her grow both as a dancer and as a person.

Ella! We are so happy to have had you apart of our DC family during your high school years. Even though our time together was short, you have been such an amazing addition to our family and we are so so proud to have taken part in your dance journey. We cannot wait to see all the amazing things you do in your future! We love you! 💟

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

Next up for our 2026 Senior Spotlights is Ivy Roessell!

Ivy has been dancing for 7 years and has truly loved every moment of it! She started training in all styles in 6th grade but, over time, discovered her passion for hip-hop and now competes as a hip-hop dancer. Her favorite dance she has ever performed in is “The Plastics,” choreographed by Guynemer Caceres (she loves playing Karen Smith). Ivy also wants to give a shoutout to the dance that made her fall in love with hip-hop and dancing overall, “Lean With It,” choreographed by Zach Saunders.

Ivy is extremely grateful for the opportunities DC has given her, including amazing roles in The Nutcracker such as Clara, Star, the Snow Queen, and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Dancing has taught Ivy how to truly love herself and work toward goals that may seem impossible.

Ivy is blessed to be attending Pepperdine University on scholarship this fall, where she plans to double major in Political Science and History on a pre-law track. After graduation, Ivy hopes to continue pursuing her passion for law by attending law school and becoming a criminal defense attorney. At Pepperdine, she plans to join the university’s hip-hop troupe, “RnD.” Go Waves!! 🌊

Ivy would like to thank Ms. Joanna, Hannah, and Guynemer for the impact they have had on her life and for helping her fall in love with dance through such a loving and supportive environment. Ivy will forever cherish her dance home and family. 🫶

Ivy we are going to miss you so much, but are so excited to see all the amazing things you are going to accomplish! We are so proud of all of your endeavors and you always pushing yourself to new heights. You are going to do great in anything you set your mind to! Don’t forget to visit! Your DC family loves you so much! 💜

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

Next up to our senior spotlight is Naomi Foote!

Naomi is has been homeschooled her whole life and has been taking Moorpark dual enrollment classes the past few years to get some of her general Ed done. After graduation, Naomi plans to attend Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, and major in Human Services.

Naomi started dancing at Dance Creations when she was 6 years old but took a few years off to try other interests before coming back to dance when she was 9. She has been dancing ever since and it’s now been nine years! She competed for four years and her favorite dance memories have always been cheering backstage with her friends. Her favorite genre of dance is contemporary or modern but she also really loves ballet.

Naomi also really enjoys music whether it’s playing, singing, dancing, listening to, or writing it. “I enjoy expressing my feelings through music or dance. I love the people at DC and it’s awesome getting to perform with all of them. It’s so rewarding to walk off stage feeling closer to your friends and proud of the work you’ve put in.”

Naomi we are so so proud of you and the kind human you are. You are the sweetest soul and we are so happy to have had you apart of our DC Family for so long! We are so excited to see all the amazing things you do in your future. We love you so much! 💕

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

Next up for our 2026 Senior Spotlights, Cayla Abugow!

Cayla is graduating from Royal High School. She will be attending Cal State San Marcos in the fall to study Kinesiology. She would like to continue her education to become a chiropractor or physical therapist.

Cayla has been dancing on and off most of her life, but has been at the studio for 7 years and competed for 2. Her favorite dance memory was going to nationals in San Diego and all of the bonding experiences.

For Cayla, dance has been an outlet to not only express herself but to be herself without having to say a word around all of her friends. What Cayla loves about dance is the environment and community that it creates. Her favorite style is hip hop, but also loves contemporary and jazz.

One piece of advice Cayla would give to other dancers is to, “Always remember to have fun, but continue to show up for yourself and others. As well, enjoy it while it lasts, because it goes quick and don’t take it for granted!!”

We are so proud of you Cayla and your committment to the studio throughout the years! We cannot wait to see all the amazing things you do in the future, and hope you always continue to work hard and chase your dreams! We love you and are going to miss you so much as you go off to college! 💚

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 2026 🎓

What a better way to kick off our 2026 Senior Spotlights than with Sydney Berry!

Sydney is graduating from Royal High School this year! She has been dancing at Dance Creations since she was five and has been on the competition team since she was nine. One of her favorite memories was getting to choreograph her junior year duet with her best friend Jael. One her favorite dances of all time is “The Plastics” by Guynemer Caceres which was the perfect dance to end out her final competition season. Her favorite style is and has always been contemporary. She loves to improv and show her artistic side whenever possible. She especially loves conventions and getting to learn from various industry professionals. She is so grateful for all the teachers at DC who have always created a safe space to learn, grow, and share her creativity as a dancer, and wants to give a special thanks to Hannah for always being there to cheer her on.

Sydney will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia to pursue her dream in acting and in film. Performing has always been a part of her and she is so excited to continue dancing and using dance a creative base and outlet to fuel her acting career. Sydney is graduating as one of her schools valedictorians, as well having received cords for her various accomplishments such as being a part of Royals ASB cabinet and for being Dance Team captain. Helping lead her schools dance team has been one of the best experiences that helped her grow as a person, leader, and dancer. Sydney also had the pleasure of getting to teach at the dance studio this year. She’s happy she got to have an impact on the new generation of DC. (Continued in the comments! Go read!)

We are so proud of you Sydney and all your accomplishments. You have been such a huge part of our DC family for so long and have been such a bright light, touching everyone around you with your spirit. We are going to miss you dancing and teaching so so much, but we are so excited to see you shine in your future! You will do great things, and we will always be here as your second home! We love you! 💛

THIS FRIDAY: MAY 29TH
COMPETITION TEAM AUDITIONS for our 26-27 SEASON! This post has updated times so please be sure to reread!

Any and all dancers are welcome to come audition for our 2026-2027 competition team on May 29th! Please ensure you fill out the audition sign up google form (link in bio) by Thursday, May 28th! 💫

Scroll for specific audition and meeting times, and more information regarding makeup auditions! We hope to see you there! 🥳

RECITAL 2026 “Wonderland” 🩵

Tickets are on sale now through the link in our bio! You don’t want to miss these two amazing shows. Show lineups can be found on our website! 💫

COMPETITION TEAM AUDITIONS: 26-27 SEASON! 🤩

Any and all dancers are welcome to come audition for our 2026-2027 competition team on May 29th! Please ensure you fill out the audition sign up google form (link in bio) by May 28th! 💫

Scroll for specific audition and meeting times, and more information regarding makeup auditions! We hope to see you there! 🥳