Nicole Elder began her dance training in 1994 at Elite Dance Studio and Theater in Albuquerque, NM and was trained in classical ballet under Dana Tuma; a former principal ballerina at the Boston Ballet. She continued training in ballet as she moved to the Four Corners area in 2001, where she danced the lead role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Soon after that, she was trained in the Russian style of ballet at a young age of 12 years old under Kimberly Palmer at  San Juan College. Nicole’s Mother, Kim Cumiford began Dance4Him studio and she continued training and was also given opportunity to teach classes and danced featured roles in many dance productions each year. In 2004 and 2009, Nicole was selected by San Juan College to dance in the prestigious Young Artist Recital. In 2010-2012, she modeled for Algy Dance Costumes and performed nationally, where she earned top awards for her own choreographed work. Nicole trained with the Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico where she worked with the director, Katherine Giese and with Ballet Master, Alex Ossadnik and trained under Ballet Mistress, Elisabeth Griffin. She starred in various roles in The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, and Paquita. Nicole has choreographed award winning neoclassical ballet pieces for streamline dance competitions and enjoys teaching ballet technique in the Four Corners area for the last 12 years. Recently, Nicole worked for Cathy Roe Dance Competition, and she has been a guest artist at dance intensives in the Midwest region and Western parts of the USA. Currently, she is one of the artistic directors and the ballet mistress at Cornerstone Ballet Academy and the President of Cornerstone Performance Company. 

Nicole is passionate about writing Biblically based dance productions and bringing these stories to life on stage. 

Although teaching ballet is a favorite for Nicole, she is also well educated in Pilates, injury prevention, nutrition, and classical variation coaching. 

Nicole married Caleb Elder in 2014 and has three daughters. 

Amanda’s acro journey began at just five years old, when she stepped into her first recreational gymnastics class—not with loads of natural talent, but with a big heart and a willingness to work hard. Thanks to dedicated teachers and coaches, she progressed quickly, and just five years later was invited to train at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas for the 1996 Olympics.

Although her family chose a different path, Amanda’s passion for tumbling never faded. After graduating high school in 2000, she served in full-time youth ministry in Washington State for three years. In 2001, she married her husband Mike, and together they have been blessed with 10 children.

In 2021, Amanda began teaching acro dance—blending her love for the Lord and her lifelong passion for tumbling into a dream come true. She hopes to inspires her students with the same encouragement, dedication, and joy that shaped her own journey.

Rebecca started her dance training at the age of six while living in Pennsylvania. She enjoyed being apart of Dance4Him Studio for over twenty years both as a student and then as an instructor. Throughout her years of dance, she had the opportunity to be involved in local and national competitions, modeling for Algy Dance Costumes, and many other community events. Rebecca completed her Associates degree in 2014 as a physical therapist assistant and has a passion for continuing to teach her students injury prevention techniques to maintain their health as dancers. She currently enjoys teaching tap technique as well as being one of the artistic directors at Cornerstone Ballet Academy. 

Michelle Wiggins received most of her dance training in Utah, focusing on ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical.  During this time, she was invited to audition for the Nonstop Dance Company.  With this team, she attended various workshops and performed in places like Catalina Island, Ensenada Mexico, Disneyland, Carnival Cruise, and Knott’s Berry Farm as well as local performances and competitions.  Michelle moved to New Mexico in 2001 and joined Dance 4 Him as both a student and an instructor, teaching and choreographing tap, ballet, and jazz for the primary classes.  In 2014, Michelle received her Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Grand Canyon University and taught for the public schools in Farmington, New Mexico for several years.  Michelle and her husband, Jonathan, have been married for 14 years and have 2 sons, Lucas and Marcus.  Michelle is excited to be able to share her faith through dance while teaching and working with students.  

Mandy has been a dance instructor for six years, teaching all age ranges from Littles to seniors in genres such as ballet, contemporary, jazz, and musical theater. When she isn’t teaching dance, Mandy and her husband are house parents at the Four Corners Home for Children, where they take care of foster kids. She has enjoyed many artistic pursuits such as performing with the Four Corners Musical Theater Company locally, singing on her worship team, and trying to feed her creative nature whenever she gets the chance. Mandy is thankful to be joining Cornerstone Ballet Academy this year and is especially excited to see what the Lord has in store for all his children that she gets to teach!

Monet Mende is a classically trained ballet dancer, instructor, and choreographer with extensive performance and teaching experience across the United States. She began her training at East Coast Ballet in Florida, continued under Peter Stark at the Patel Conservatory, and graduated from Ellison Ballet in New York before joining Oklahoma City Ballet as a contracted member. During her career, she has performed in classical works such as Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Giselle, as well as in contemporary productions including Stanton Welch’s Triple Bill. As a guest artist, she has appeared nationwide in roles including Snow Queen, Sugarplum Fairy, and principal soloist in Spellbound, an original ballet by Mindi Hansen.

Alongside her performance career, Monet has built a reputation as a respected instructor and mentor. She has taught at East Coast Ballet since 2016, served as Ballet Mistress at Wilmington Ballet, and participated in outreach projects across the US as well as internationally. She is also a highly sought-after Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) coach, traveling across the country to train and choreograph for dancers preparing for competition.

For Monet, the heart of her work lies not in the spotlight but in her students. She credits the Lord and her parents for cultivating her passion and guiding her path. While applause may follow a well-executed performance, she finds her true joy in teaching and inspiring others, helping young dancers develop not only technical excellence but also resilience, confidence, and a love for the art of dance.