ALISO NIGUEL DANCE TEAM 2024-2025

Mrs. Desiano started at Aliso Niguel High School in 1998. She has been teaching/coaching high school dance for the past 33 years. She began dancing as a child to help her as a competitive gymnast. 


Mrs. Desiano completed her Associate Degree at Citrus  College in Glendora, California, where she was a part of their Dance Company (1986-1988).  She continued her education at Cal State Long Beach where she obtained her degree in Physical Education (1988-1991). While at CSULB she was part of the Spirit Team for two years.  Mrs. Desiano continued her education at Cal State San Bernardino (1999-2000) where she obtained her Master’s Degree in Education. 



At Aliso Niguel High School, Mrs. Desiano currently teaches in the Physical Education Department: Dance, Tennis, and PE9.  She was a finalist for Orange County Dance Teacher of the Year in 2006 and 2008.  She was awarded 10 Years of Dedication--A Lifetime of Appreciation by the Contest of Champions in March 2023. She believes teamwork is the essence of a winning program. Her motto has always been "Hard work beats talent when talent will not work hard" by John Wooden. She is excited for this year's team. They have the opportunity to work with amazing choreographers and a coaching staff that believes not only in the dancers, but also in each other.  Mrs. Desiano resides in San Clemente with her husband of 25 years, Tom, a Social Studies teacher and the Varsity Boys Basketball coach at Dana Hills High School. They have two children and a family dog, Harley. Her daughter, Madelyn, plays professional soccer in the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) for the Houston Dash. Her son, Tommy, graduated from Saddleback  College with two Associate Degrees and a certificate in the their Media/Television program. He is currently waiting to continue his education at a university.

Anthony  has been teaching and choreographing for 15 years. He has also been performing and dancing for 20 years. Performance credits include: Ensemble in “Chicago”, Ensemble/Dance Captain in "Damn Yankees", Papa Ogre/Wolf in “Shrek the Musical”, “Chino” in West Side Story, Ching Ho in "Thoroughly Modern Millie", Audrey II in "Little Shop of Horrors", Japeth in "Children of Eden", The Cowardly Lion in "Wizard of Oz", as well as "The Music Man", “Godspell”, “You're a Mean Man Mr. Scrooge”, “The Sound of Music” and more. Anthony performed in and choreographed several Saddleback College dance concerts, winning awards for “Best Choreography” and “Best Performer”. Anthony has also been seen dancing at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure in "Parade of Dreams", "A Christmas Fantasy Parade", "Celebrate!  A Street Party", "Mickey's Halloween Parade", "Tiana's Showboat Jubilee", "Mickey's Soundsational Parade" and many more.

Anthony's choreography credits include: "Addams Family the Musical" with the Inland Valley Repertory Theater, "RENT" and "In the Heights" at Long Beach Playhouse, as well as "Hunchback of Notre Dame", "A Bronx Tale", "Sister Act", "Guys and Dolls" and  several other musicals.

Anthony is currently a dance instructor at Capistrano Academy of Dance in San Juan Capistrano where his dance teams are nationally-ranked and have won several awards for "Best Concept and Originality". He is often a guest choreographer for San Juan Hills High School and other local high schools. Anthony has worked for several industry events such as Club Posers in Los Angeles. He also is a Regional Director for Revolution Talent Competition. Anthony is thrilled to be back at Aliso Niguel High School for another season and looks forward to this upcoming season with the Dance Team. He would like to thank all of his friends and family for their continued support.

Caitlin began her dance training in Southern California at the age of five and specialized in ballet. She was a member of the Aliso Niguel High School Dance Team from 2010-2013. In 2013, she began her dance teaching career and has taught at several local dance studios in Orange County and Utah. She worked for the Walt Disney Company as a parade performer from 2014-2020. Caitlin has been cast in several parades at Disneyland. Parades include "Mickey’s Soundsational Parade", opening cast of "Paint the Night Electrical Parade", "Frightfully Fun Parade", and "A Christmas Fantasy Parade". 

Caitlin attended Saddleback College where she earned an Associate Degree in Liberal Studies. During her time at Saddleback, she was a member of the Saddleback cheerleading squad and the Saddleback dance program from 2013-2015. Caitlin furthered her education at Utah Valley University on a tuition scholarship. She graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in Dance, with an emphasis in Ballet. She was a member of UVU’s Repertory Ballet Ensemble from 2015-2018. With the ensemble, she guest-performed with Repertory Dance Theater in their show Sanctuary in 2017. Caitlin attended the American College of Dance Association in 2018. From 2018 to 2020 she coached the middle school and high school dance team at Saddleback Valley Christian School. She has also taught physical education in the private sector since 2020. This is her third year coaching the Aliso Niguel High School Dance Team. She is passionate about dance and physical education. Caitlin believes that a teacher not only teaches dance steps but life lessons and an overall healthy lifestyle along the way.

Rona joined our staff during the 2022-2023 academic year for her first season as a competitive coach. Born and raised in Southern California, Rona spent her formative years performing in biannual musicals and recitals. She spent two years training on competitive hip-hop and character teams through a local studio, and ever since, has had a passion for performing. She embraced  the philosophy of John Wooden and his teachings of determination, resilience and success have heavily influenced her own philosophy, not only in athletics, but in life. Rona continued her pursuit for competitive greatness by training on a nationally-ranked all-star cheerleading team. Her range of experience creates a strong foundation for her abilities as she continues to study the art of dance in a competitive environment.

Rona graduated from Dana Hills High School in 2016, participating in both student government and varsity cheerleading. After one year at Saddleback College, she transferred to the University of Maryland and earned her BA in Communications during the following three years. Rona has been employed at CUSD since the 2020-2021 academic year and found her passion for working with students during that first year. She works as a district-wide substitute teacher while concurrently progressing in a graduate program, majoring in Education, with the hopes of becoming a teacher in the near future. She truly believes that learning lasts a lifetime and to never let the fear of failure haunt you as you chase your dreams.