Diana Portes has been dancing since the age of three, where she attended the Ronnie McLaughlin School of Dance, in Merchantville, New Jersey. She studied various styles of dance, such as: Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Pointe, Tumbling, and Modern. Diana was accepted into the Southern New Jersey Academy of Performing Arts, where the focus was mainly on Ballet, and Horton technique. Upon high school graduation, at just 18 years old, Diana moved to New York City and was accepted into The Alvin Ailey School of Dance on a scholarship. 

In 2006, Diana attended Central State University in Wilberforce, OH. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Business Management, while accomplished being on the Black Diamond and Black Diamond Dancing Belles college dance team, throughout her four years. After graduating college, Diana moved back to New York to pursue her MBA, at the Metropolitan College of New York. 

From 2012-2015, Diana was a member of the Philadelphia Soulmates dance team, for the Arena football team, the Philadelphia Soul. Her love of hip hop grew during this time. In 2011, she had her first teaching opportunities at Edge Dance Center and CaRu Entertainment, in South and Central New Jersey.

In 2015, Diana moved to Tampa, FL, and started teaching Jazz, Hip Hop, and Competition Choreography at Karl and DiMarco. In 2017, Diana became the full time Office Manager and full time dance teacher/ choreographer at K&D South where she received many awards for competitions such as Platinum, special judges awards, and overall placement awards. 

In the spring of 2017, Diana was accepted to be a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders for the NFL team, the Tampa Buccaneers. 

Diana Alexis Dance Academy was founded in 2020 by Diana Portes. Diana is thrilled to start a dance studio of her own, pass down the many dance experiences she has learned throughout the years, and contribute to the community.