Directors
Sarah Dayley, Founder/Administrative Director/Choreographer
Sarah Dayley is the co-founder of Swell Events (501c3 charitable org.) and the founder, former artistic director and administrative director and choreographer for Illumination. She has been dancing, choreographing, coaching, and instructing in the Portland/Vancouver area for 20+ years. As the owner of Dayley Dance Academy Camas/Washougal, she continues to donate her time towards providing a more enriching performing arts experience to the dancers in Clark County. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Mark for 24 years and is the mother of 4 children, all of which are involved with the company.
Tiffany Tangen, Artistic Director/Choreographer
Tiffany is an alumnus of George Fox University. She received her dance training at Terpsichoria Dance Studio in Clackamas, Oregon. She was a four year member and captain of the Mt. View Lighting Dance Team, where she was chosen to receive the Emily Beth Haight Scholarship in 2003. Since then, she has been an instructor for Thunderbird Dance Camp each year, has performed and choreographed for Pure Dance Company in Portland, and has coached dance team at Mt. View High School for 6 years. Tiffany has been an instructor at the Dayley Dance Academy for the past 8 years, specializing in tap, jazz, contemporary and lyrical dance styles and workshops. Tiffany has been a choreographer with Illumination since Season 2 and has now taken on the role of Artistic Director for Season 7, debuting her orginal show “Technobabble”.
Choreographers
Emily Dance Fish
Emily is new to IDC for season 6. She has an extensive background in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Modern dance. As a graduate of BYU in Utah, Emily has taught at various studios and is looking forward to becoming an intricate part of the IDC choreographer’s team. She currently teaches at Dayley Dance Academy.
Jenifer Ingersoll
Jenifer began her dance and gymnastics training at a young age and began to focus her love of dance as a member of her State Championship high school dance team. She has been a choreographer for Illumination since Season Three. She is the mother of 2 daughters, both of which share her passion for dance and are company members.
Alexis Jensen
Alexis has been a principle dancer with IDC for the past 5 seasons. She is now a choreographer for the company, after assisting as a Jr. choreographer for season 4 & 5. Alexis teaches pointe, ballet, jazz, and tap at Dayley Dance Academy. She also works as a desk manager for DDA and volunteers in show production for IDC aside from choreography.
Lynda Meza
Lynda Studied at Copeland Dance Studio in American Falls, ID as a child where she moved on to Jr and HS Dance/Drill Teams. She attended Ricks College in Idaho, where she studied Jazz and Modern dance. Lynda has taught various fitness classes, including step aerobics, zumba, cardio dance, and hip hop over the last 20 years. She resides with her husband and three children, all of which are dancers, in Camas, WA. Lynda believes that dancing is a positive and creative outlet that keeps her young.
Lynelle Nicholson
Lynelle is a life-long dancer who received her Bachelor’s degree in Ballroom dance at BYU, Utah. She has a son and daughter who are also involved in dance through IDC and Dayley Dance Academy. Lynelle has been with IDC since season 5 and currently teaches ballroom and partnering classes at Dayley Dance Academy.
Colette Rood
Colette began her dancing career at age four. Growing up, she moved a lot and attended many different dance studios where she learned unique skills from each instructor. She found her passion for choreography in high school and pursued it at Western Washington University where she earned a B.A. in Dance as well as English Literature. Throughout college, she performed and choreographed consistently which helped her to grow as an artist. Colette is a Ballet/Modern instructor at the Dayley Dance Academy. She has been choreographing for Illumination since Season Three. She believes that dancers should be fearless and eager to try anything and hopes to inspire dancers to find power within themselves.
Katie Simko
Katie fell in love with dancing and singing at four years of age. She trained under a variety of instructors throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County area and received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from California State University, Long Beach. Her performance credits include Musical Theater West productions of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls, as well as many others. In addition, she has performed with Disney, Knott’s Berry Farm and Buena Vista Productions. Katie and her family relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2008. She is currently an instructor at DDA in the pre-professional program and has been choreographing with Illumination since Season Two.
Angela Thomas
Angela has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from the University of Utah where she performed with the department’s Performing Dance Company. She has also performed with Weber State University’s Orchesis Dance Theater. At the Academy of Ballet Arts, she studied ballet for ten years and performed with Mountain West Ballet. Along with ten years of teaching experience, she has choreographed for universities, elementary and high schools, private studios, church groups, and multiple musical theater productions. Angela currently teaches Pointe, Creative Movement, and basic Ballet classes at the Dayley Dance Academy. She has been choreographing with Illumination since Season One.