Independence Dance Company (IDC) was created to give dedicated young dancers a professional training program. Offering classes in many styles of dance including pointe, ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, salsa, and hip hop, IDC wants to broaden its dancers knowledge and understanding of movement and choreography and prepare them for the diverse world of professional dance.

IDC company members train and rehearse for 9-15 hours a week with the company, and we encourage dancers to take additional classes at many of the amazing local studios in the Los Angeles area. IDC also offers a master class series with renowned dancers and choreographers.

Making sure our dancers are well-rounded people is also important. Most of our company members are honor students, and are involved in outside activities including show choir, Girl Scouts, singing, acting, ice-skaing, gymnastics and more!

Most importantly, IDC company members are a part of a community. Young dancers are not machines, and we understand that serious dance training is a commitment for their entire family. We are based in respect. Respect for the company and respect for the dancer. We are a family and we grow together.

Mara started dancing at the age of three and was choreographing and teaching dance by the age of twelve. She has been a professional dancer and actress for over fifteen years on stage and film. She has choreographed over a dozen musicals and taught at several dance studios in California and Virginia. In addition to teaching at IDC, she is a substitute instructor at Millennium Dance Complex.

Mara also has a diverse background in politics, business and the arts with a BA in Political Science from UC Davis. She has been married for almost 14 years and has a lovely daughter. They share their Los Angeles home with three cats, a dog, and a bunny.

She is a proud member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA.

Amy has been dancing since she was six years old. She trained from age ten to eighteen with a competitive dance company in Chicago named Perseverance Dance Company. During her years with Perseverance, Amy has worked with choreographers such as, Dee Caspary, Tina D'Amato, Michelle Elkin, Chris Jacobson, Lizzie MacKenzie, Mark Meismer, Melissa Ridgway and Sonya Tayeh. She has won numerous awards such as, LA Dance Magic Performer of the Weekend/ Performer of the Year, West Coast Dance Explosion Finalist, Odyesse's Performer of the Weekend, and Hall of Fame's Performer of the Weekend. At age eighteen Amy signed with Jean Ann Ryan Productions and did a six month contract with Norwegian Cruise Line. After her contract ended Amy moved to Los Angeles to begin her professional career as a working dancer. She signed with the agency MSA and her first professional show was with choreographer Sonya Tayeh. Amy has continued to work with Sonya doing shows such as “Traffic” in North Hollywood. She has performed in Los Angeles’ biggest choreographers ball called Carnival and danced in a Mexican commercial for Calimax the grocery store. She has modeled for Junior Drake hand bangs and NCL’s "New Ship Smell" perfume commercial. She is currently touring with a new contemporary company named MashUp Contemporary Dance Company, which has performed on Good Day LA, and is ready for whatever else comes her way.

Chantel grew up in Santa Cruz, CA, where she began training at a very young age her mom’s dance studio.  By the age of 14 she was accepted to San Francisco Ballet School, where she trained for the next four years as well as being a company member of The Dance Company of San Francisco directed by Chris Jacobsen and Sonya Tayeh. After high school, she moved to Manhattan and studied at New York University in the Tisch Dance Department.  After a year and a half as a student at NYU, Chantel was offered many jobs that could not be turned down.  She took a leave of absence, and had the opportunity of dancing in the United Arab Emirates, in the city of Dubai , performing in the Mid Eastern International Film Festival. In New York City, commercially she performed in the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with Taylor Swift, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Sean Kingston Music Video and numerous industrials.  Her company experience includes, Soulescape Dance Company, directed by Justin Giles, Tayeh Dance directed by Sonya Tayeh, and performances with Cedar Lake Dance Company and San Francisco Ballet directed by Helgi Tomasson.  Work has currently moved Chantel to LA where she has performed in the 2010 Academy Awards with LXD, Dancing with the Stars choreographed by Travis Wall, 2010 MTV Video Music Awards with Florence and the Machine, choreographed by Travis Wall, MACY’s Passport Show, choreographed by Tony Testa, Travis Wall and Tovaris Wilson, Directed by Brian Friedman.   She has also appeared in the new Christina Perri, ‘Jar of Hearts’ music video choreographed by Stacey Tookey, Lucy Schwartz’ Graveyard music video choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, Steed Lords’ new music video ‘123 If You Want Me’ and appeared in the new Panic at the Disco short film as the lead dancer/actress.  Chantel has assisted Sonya Tayeh, and Travis Wall this past season on So You Think You Can Dance and is currently traveling the country as a demonstrator for NUVO Dance Convention.

Vera was born in Perth, Australia. Ms. Ninkovic studied classical ballet at some of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world on scholarship including: The National Ballet School in Sofia, Bulgaria and the State Ballet School in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. She also studied with the London Studio Center in London where she was voted Dancer of the Year in 1991 and performed in the presence of HRH Prince Edward.  She completed her training at the Royal Ballet School in London where she also received the R.A.D. Solo Seal Award.  

Ms. Ninkovic was a semi-finalist in the 1991 Prix de Lausanne international ballet competition in Switzerland. She went on to dance professionally with the Basel Ballet in Switzerland, touring internationally.  Ms. Ninkovic also performed as a soloist with the Perth City Ballet in Australia as well as the Los Angeles Classical Ballet at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Ms. Ninkovic has taught ballet for The Performing Arts Center in Northridge, The Ana Cheselka Dance Center and The Marat Daukayev School of Ballet.  She was the Artistic Director for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Dance Department’s 2007 spring production of Alice in Wonderland.

Ms. Ninkovic is currently the head of the ballet department  for “everybody dance!” a program for inner city children in Los Angeles. For ten years here she has trained and mentored students who have gone on to win awards, study at prestigious schools such as the Juilliard School and dance professionally in America and in Europe. Ms. Ninkovic co-directed the spring performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2008 and the 2010 spring production of Gabri’s Gift.

Kana began her ballet training at the early age of three in Japan. She performed in productions of Swan Lake, Coppelia, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and more as soloist. Kana became to America in1997 and has since performed throughout the United States with the KIN Dance Company and AnNamx Dance Production. She has locally performed in Jazz Dance L.A., Dance Spectrum and Pasadena Dance Festival.

Kana currently teaches Ballet at Edge Performing Arts Center, Hama’s Dance Center, IDA Hollywood, Millennium Dance Complex and Independence Dance Company.

She also works as assistant director of Kenji Yamaguchi’s Ken Dance Company.

Mary has been teaching and performing in the LA area for the last 20 years.  Prior to LA, she taught and performed in Chicago for 6 years.  The students in her studio have ranged from 3 yrs. - 80 yrs. old.
Mary has over 70 students in her private studio in Toluca Lake.  They range from professional shower singers to people who are pursuing their dreams on Broadway and in the music industry. 

Mary is currently in charge of the music programs at four Montessori schools in the La Crescenta and La Canada areas. With children ranging from 4-13 years old, she was the musical director for a 60's musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a Motown musical version of Twelfth Night.  Mary is also the musical director of the  Wesley Middle School in Valley Village.

Some of the people Mary has coached include: Brad Pitt, Tony nominee-Mary Dizzia, Jamie Luner, and the Asian Boys Band -- At Last.  Mary trains her students to focus their sound through the acting and the interpretation of the song.  The studio has two recitals a year at the Brand Recital Hall in Glendale.
Mary received her Bachelors degree in Musci/Vocal Performance from the University of Illinois and is comfortable teaching Italian, Spanish, German and French.  She received her MFA from Illinois State University in Acting.

Mary's philosophy is that people do well doing what they LOVE to do. she LOVES what she does and her goal is to help people LOVE what they do.