Ciera René Thorne, originally from Washington, DC, and Maryland, began her dance journey at a very young age. However, it was seeing *The Lion King* on Broadway at the age of 9 that solidified her decision to pursue a professional dance career. Ciera trained extensively at Divine Dance Institute and Dance Dimensions in Maryland, focusing on Ballet, Jazz, Tap, African, and Modern dance. She then attended the esteemed Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, while also performing with the Katherine Smith Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Following this, Ciera pursued her education at Temple University's Boyer College of Dance in Philadelphia, where she obtained a BFA in Dance and an AA in Africology. During her time at Temple, she danced with Philadanco II and later joined the Creative Reaction Hip-Hop Company.

Throughout her career, Ciera has engaged in numerous dance intensives, including those at Divine Dance Institute, Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Philadanco!, Eleone Dance Theatre, The Greater Allen Cathedral Worship Conference, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. She has also attended International Association of Blacks in Dance Conferences in various cities, including Washington, DC; Dayton, OH; Denver, CO; Philadelphia, PA; and Toronto, Canada. Ciera has performed in projects by Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff, and Joe Gonzalez, and has contributed to productions by Bill T. Jones, Sue Samuels, Jamel Gaines, and Donald T. Lunsford.

In 2021, Ciera relocated to New York to launch her professional dance career. In New York, she was part of Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn and TORCH Dance Theatre, and she served as an intern/understudy with Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre Ballet Company and a guest artist with Jo-Mé Dance of Boston. Her notable achievements in New York include performing at the televised “New Year’s Eve at Times Square” and gracing the stage at Carnegie Hall. Ciera is deeply family-oriented, spiritual, and adventurous. A lifelong member of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Maryland, she has also danced and choreographed for the Praise in Motion Liturgical Dance Ministry. She credits her faith as the guiding force in her life and career. Ciera is thrilled to embark on a new chapter on the West Coast, where she will dance with Contemporary West Dance Theatre for their 2023-2024 season.