Dorna was raised in London and considers her Iranian heritage and its celebratory culture to have established her love for movement and dance.

She started taking dance classes at the age of five, then at 17 joined The Brit School where she was introduced to contemporary dance. Alongside this, she worked with Ben Duke in The Place’s youth company, Shift. At 19 Dorna joined London Contemporary Dance School where she performed choreographed works by James Cousins, Rafael Bonachela and Ohad Naharin, as well as performing improvisations led by Rick Nodine and Hagit Yakira. She then joined the post-graduate company, VERVE, under the artistic direction of Matthew Robinson, working with Jean Cleville, Maxine Doyle, Noa Zuk, and Ben Wright. Since then Dorna has worked with James Cousins Company, Jamaal Burkmar (Extended Play Dance), Jean Abreu, Maxine Doyle, Grace Nicol, and Corey B.