Born and raised in New York City, Dakota Quinn's life revolved around nothing but dance. Since the time she was able to walk, she was enrolled in dance classes, starting off in ballet and then, up until her teenage years, progressing into hip-hop. Dance seemed to be the only place she could express herself and be truly happy. At home, life was complicated. Her father was the typical business man, spending too much time in his office or out on business trips, and not enough time at home with his wife and daughter. Without her husband's support and with the constant fights about affairs, Dakota's mother became withdrawn and neglectful of her daughter, leaving Dakota to be raised by her grandmother.
 
It wasn't long before Dakota was that lonesome child standing in the stage wing, peeking into the audience in hope that she'd see her parents there, praying they didn't forget about her dance recitals.
 
At the age 8, her parents finally divorced and each went their separate ways. Dakota stayed with her mother, sitting by and watching her date a different man every other week. As the years went by, she saw her father less and less. His new wife forbid it, and he didn't care any to rebel. When Dakota's mother finally remarried, Dakota was put on the back burner, becoming the leftover child of a failed marriage that no one wanted.
 
Despite a complicated and otherwise unhappy home life, when Dakota wasn't dancing, she spent a great deal of time with her best friend Ethan. Being especially close, the two told each other everything and knew everything there was to know about the other. Even after Ethan moved away, they stayed in close contact. By some coincidental miracle, when she was 16, Dakota and her mother's new family moved, and she was once again reunited with her best friend.
 
Being a rather sarcastic and emotionally damaged person, Dakota is, more often than not, hard to get along with. She too often speaks her mind without thinking things through and this usually results in her insulting people and causing fights. She's a very passionate person, which can be seen in the way she dances. Because of her relationship with Ethan and because of how close she is to him, he is the only one she has told about her being attracted to females and preferring them over males. To hide this from other people, Dakota comes off as a bit of a flirt and gets very defensive if someone were to say something to her about being a lesbian.