Ilia Maria Ordonez

Ilia Maria Ordonez a passionate lover of dance of all styles. Born in Guatemala City and moved to Miami at the age of two. Growing up in a Cuban neighborhood, Ilia found her love in salsa dancing. At the age of 15 Ilia started taking classes at Paramount Dance Studio. Shortly after she was accepted into South Dade Senior High School Dance Magnet program. Ilia then began to teach at her studio teaching Salsa, Jazz, and Contemporary. Now enrolled as a dance major at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts where she continues her training in Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Modern, and Tap. In which she studies under dance professors such as Shura Baryshnikov, Todd Shanks, Greogory King, Jeremy Routh-Howes, Robbie Murley, Julie White, Cosmin Marculetiu, and Ricordo Foster. She expected to graduate with her Bachelor degree in Dance and Psychology in May 2016.

During the summer of 2014, Ilia started taking Latin ballroom classes at Miami Dade College under Estefania Cantillo; in which Ilia knew she wanted to continue a performance career in Latin Ballroom. In the summer of 2015, Ilia returned to Miami in which she returned to Paramount Dance Studio as an intern and assistant teacher. She also began teaching contemporary at Huney Shine Dance Studio in Homestead, Florida.

After graduation Ilia next goal is to become Zumba certified in order to bring Latin Dance and fitness together in classes. She plans to start volunteer work in Guatemala in December of 2016 to bring the arts there. Ilia wants to continue a career teaching dance classes and to choreography. Her long time goal is to start an organization with her sister in Guatemala to teach orphans how to dance.