Our Staff
Carly Klaus
Owner & Artistic Director
Carly Klaus has been a teacher and founder of a successful dance program for the past 28 years. She has an extensive background in many styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theater. Carly also has taught poms as well as coached award winning cheer teams. She has created numerous memorable dance pieces and inspires every student she works with. After teaching hundreds of students from the ages 2-13 for years, Ms. Carly has discovered the importance in focusing on the younger dancer in order to build the strongest older dancer possible. She has seen that younger dancers are not focused on in the ways they deserve and has a mission to change that. With this, Wish Dance Academy was created. Carly aspires to instill confidence and joy in all of her students, and create an outlet where they can feel safe to be who they are no matter the circumstances.
Rachel Newton
Dance Instructor, Ballet/Pointe
Studio Manager
Rachel Newton grew up in Frankfort, IL, where she began her training at the American Dance Center under Kathleen Villari of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She later continued her studies at Salt Creek Ballet, training under Sergey Kozadayev and Zhanna Dubrovskya, both graduates of the Vaganova Ballet Academy. During this time, Rachel performed in numerous classical ballets, taking on principal roles in The Nutcracker, Flower Festival in Genzano, and Alice in Wonderland. She went on to earn her BFA in Dance from the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University program, where she performed in works by renowned choreographers such as Alexander Anderson, Helen Simoneau, Ethan Colangelo, Mark Caserta, Earl Mosley, Levi Marsman, and Brice Mousset. Rachel has trained in ballet, pointe, Horton, Graham, contemporary, jazz, improvisation, composition, repertory, and partnering. She has also completed summer intensives with Visceral Dance Chicago, Common Conservatory, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. In 2024, she graduated summa cum laude with a double major in Dance and Digital Technology/Emerging Media. Professionally, Rachel has performed as a guest artist in Ballethnic Dance Company's Urban Nutcracker in Atlanta. She is currently a contemporary company artist in Chicago, dancing with The Seldoms (Carrie Hanson) and LEVEL Dance (Eddy Ocampo & Brandon DiCrisico). Rachel is equally committed to teaching and sharing her love for dance with the next generation!
Rhianna Young
Dance Instructor, Modern/Contemporary
Rhianna is a dancer, choreographer, and instructor whose early training started in Frankfort, Illinois, at Braemar Dance Center. She studied a variety of styles, including jazz, hip hop, and contemporary. She has recently graduated (Class of ‘25) with her BFA in dance from Columbia College Chicago, where she’s presented works such as “Blue Lips,” (Spring ‘22), “there’s room for all of you here,” (Fall ‘23), “F E M M E,” (Fall ‘24), and “for you, I would” (Spring ‘25). She teaches and choreographs across the South Chicago suburbs for T-N-T Extreme Dance, Braemar Dance Center, Wings Dance Studio, and WDA. Coming up on her sixth year as a dance instructor, Rhianna primarily teaches contemporary and jazz, infused with her versatile training of many other dance genres. She looks forward to growing what genres she teaches throughout her years as an instructor and loves setting works for both the competitive and performative stage. This is Rhianna’s second year with WDA, and she absolutely loves the encouraging environment in place for the dancers, which very much aligns with her personal values as an instructor!
Lily Cooke
Dance Instructor, Jazz/Poms
Lily started dancing at the age of 14 at a local studio in the area. She became a competitive dancer by the age of 15, where she won and placed multiple times with group dances and solos. She excels in contemporary, lyrical, and jazz technique. She graduated from Lewis University in 2025, studying PR and Advertising. Lily was also on the Lewis cheer team. Currently, she is doing the Disney College program in Florida. A longtime teacher at WDA, Lily loves helping the students grow year after year!
Dillon Zamora
Dance Instructor, Ballet/Pointe
Dillon Zamora started training in dance at the age of 13. Dillon trained at his home studio in California in the Cecchetti Ballet method, contemporary, and hip hop. Dillon later studied at the University of California Irvine where he received two B.F.A.s for Dance Choreography and Dance Performance. While at UCI, Dillon performed in multiple shows and performed in works by Lar Lubovitch and Vitor Luiz DeSantos. Dillon was a trainee with Visceral Dance Chicago and worked with Braeden Barnes, Tina Diaz, and Cait Cucchiarra. He’s also had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers such as Ethan Colangelo, Nicole Von Arx, Alex Ketley, and Nicole Hennington. Dillon is a professional dancer with Winifred Haun and Dancers and The Seldoms in Chicago. Dillon loves teaching all ages across the Chicagoland area!