Owner/Artistic Director/Choreographer

Francesca Crupi graduated Magna Cum Laude from the prestigious Boston Conservatory, receiving a BFA in Contemporary Dance with an emphasis in jazz  performance. Growing up as a competitive dancer since the age of four, she has trained in various genres such as jazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, tap, contemporary, african dance, salsa, musical theatre and swing dance. From the ages nine to twelve she professionally danced as a “Nets Kid” on the New Jersey Nets basketball team. Also during this time Francesca modeled for a kids dance catalog called A Wish Come True. As an alumni of Prestige Academy of Dance, she has had the honor to assist and collaborate with both Dina Crupi Zunic and Michael Susten. With an interest in Pure Barre, she was certified in this technique through the American Barre Program. In 2011, she had the opportunity to be in three music videos choreographed by Tom Richardson and KC Costellano. During her time at the Boston Conservatory, she was able to perform in her fall, winter, and spring show, working with choreographers Yury Yanowsky, Jennifer Archibald, and Ruka White. In November 2017, she had the honor to dance in the Walt Disney Worlds “Saks 5th Ave Light Show” and to perform next to Disney’s Descendants, Sophia Carson. As she continue’s to learn and grow, she has also found an interest in choreography. She was awarded America’s Young Choreographer for her two pieces “Lost Boy” (2017) and “Mad World” (2018). Currently you can find her in the Festival Of Fantasy Parade, Move It Shake It Mouskedance It, and Hoedown Happening in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World! Francesca hopes to one day further her dance eduction by receiving a masters degree in dance. Not only is performing and dancing her passion, but she loves to share every bit of knowledge that she gains with her students.

Kelby Brown scored simultaneous achievements on stage, film and in the television world. Kelby has performed with some of the biggest stars in entertainment including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Usher and he choreographed the feature film, " Spring Breakdown", starring Parker Posey and SNL's stars Amy Phoeler and Rachel Dratch.  Some of his most outstanding dance accomplishments include roles with Ballet Chicago, State Ballet of Missouri, Hartford Ballet,  Los Angeles Ballet Company and the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center.  Kelby also danced a principal role in Los Angeles Opera's production of a Merry Widow, and as the "Oiseau", in Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas production of "Mystere". The biggest highlight of his career came when he was asked to be a charter member of Celine Dion's highly acclaimed Las Vegas production of "A New Day", where he worked with Director,  Franco Dragone and choreographer,  Mia Michaels. He can be seen in the feature film, The Dance Flick, Transformers 2, SYTYCD, (dancing alongside Lady Gaga), Gossip Girl and the hit HBO series, Weeds. He has also worked with some of the top choreographers in the business including Mia Michaels, Dave Scott, Michael Rooney, Sonya Tayeh, Stacy Tookey and Tony Testa. Kelby has  made appearances on  MTV's House of Style, Good Day Live LA, the Today's Show, World Music Awards and Oprah Winfrey. Choreography credits include MTV’s “Awkward”, the opening number of the 20th anniversary Kid's Choice Awards, starring multi-platinum selling recording artist, Justin Timberlake and Opera Noire's homage to the legendary Arthur Mitchell, founder and director of Dance Theatre of Harlem.  Kelby Brown began his professional dance and entertainment career at a young age, and successfully parlayed his experiences into choreography and teaching both nationally and internationally. Kelby has been on the dance faculty with Celine Dion, and at the infamous Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, Millenium Dance Complex in LA, the prestigious Broadway Dance Center in NY, as well as The School of Ballet Chicago, State Ballet of Missouri and Champs Charter High School of Performing Arts. He has taught on numerous dance conventions including Dance Masters of America, The Pulse,  LA Dance Force and Urban Jamm. Kelby trained at Walnut Hill School of the Arts in Boston and continued his training at the School of American Ballet, (the official school of the New York City Ballet). At the same time, he also studied hip hop, jazz, tap and contemporary. Kelby went on to build a career that includes everything from principal roles with classical ballet companies to film, television, choreography and hosting credits.

Kelby continues to work as a dancer, actor and choreographer in numerous live industrials, commercials, stage and tv/film productions.

Jamie Salmon has over 35 years of experience as a professional dancer and educator. Jamie's classes are based on a fusion of the varied syllabus learned from her training at the finest dance academies in the USA. She trains and shares her passion for ballet with her students emphasizing details, alignment, kinesthetic awareness, musicality and phrasing, using imagery and physical, 'hands on corrections' throughout the class. 

(* Current, ** Past)

Professional Teaching:

*Broadway Dance Center NYC Ballet and Pointe All Levels/ages 

*Peridance Capezio Center NYC Ballet All Levels/ages, Certificate Program Faculty 

*Ballet Academy East NYC:

  All Levels Open classes

*Prestige Academy of Dance NJ  Ballet and Pointe  All levels 7-18 years

**The Ailey School,

**The Joffrey Ballet School,  **Irine Fokine Ballet, 

**For Dancers Only

Competitions/Conventions/Workshops

*Dance Theatre USA/International, 

*Sheer Talent,  

*Dance Educator Development, *The Pulse,

**DMA, 

**DEA, 

**Dance Caravan

**Professional Dance Teachers Association 

**Stars of Tomorrow

Boards/Mentoring/Coaching

*Faculty Board Member , Mentor and Coach in all Education Departments, Masterclasses at Broadway Dance Center NYC

*Mentors and Coaches all genres for dancers

Competitive, novice and professional nationally and internationally. 

Training:

Began with Melissa Hayden, Dana Kennedy Paul Mejia, Juan Anduze

*North Carolina School of the Arts ( now UNCSA)

*School of American Ballet

(Sponsored and mentored by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon)

*The Joffrey Ballet School NYC

*Finis Jung, *David Howard

Acting/Theatre: 

Betty Cashman

Professional career 

Started with Joffrey Ballet Concert Group and continued extensive performance career dancing and acting  in Industrials, Regional Theatre, Commercials and Film

Has danced classical, neoclassical, contemporary and commercial works in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary Jazz, Musical Theatre and with a range of Choreography by Fokine, Petipa, Balanchine to  Luis Falco just to name a few.

Mia DiLena, originally from Toronto, graduated from the Certificate program at The Ailey School (NYC). Mia performed on tour with Travis Wall in his company, Shaping Sound, in the shows “After the Curtain” and “Dance Reimagined”. She also performed Travis’ choreography for Jennifer Lopez at the American Music Awards (LA). In 2019, Mia performed in the original Off-Broadway Musical “Alice By Heart” where she was the dance captain. Mia has worked with Stacey Tookey on the original creation of DANCER, A Musical in Ten Furlongs and additionally as an assistant at her Camp Protege (CAN). Some of Mia’s film and television credits include Disney’s The Music Man, and several music videos including The Jonas Brothers and Blake McGrath. Mia has danced in a number of Toronto-based companies including Helix Dance Project, Bridge To Artists, Conteur Dance Company, and TOES FOR DANCE. Mia has judged for many competitions including JUMP, Nuvo, Radix, 24/Seven, and On The Floor (CAN) and she has been teaching and choreographing at dance studios across North America for over a decade. 

Brianna Santigate is a New Jersey native who started dancing at a young age. At her home studio Brianna danced competitively and studied under choreographers such as Al Blackstone, Katie Drablos, Thang Dao, Julie Shulman, and Michael Minery. She continued her dance training throughout college and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from Montclair State University (MSU) in 2017. As a member of the MSU Repertory Dance Company, Brianna performed works by Bill T. Jones, Frederick Earl Mosely, Larry Keigwin, Christian von Howard, and various others. Since graduating Brianna has performed works by Nicole Guidetti Serapiglia, Michael Susten & Company, Denise Garvey, Frankie Zulferino, and Padierna Dance Project. Brianna choreographs and teaches at studios, high schools, and dance intensives throughout the New York and New Jersey area. Her choreographic work has appeared in the MSU Fall Senior Project 2017 production, Red Bank Regional Dance Company 2019, and most recently completed her fourth residency choreographing for the Montclair High School Dance Company (MHDC) in Fall 2020. Brianna can be seen on Fox's Season 16 of So You Think You Can Dance, as a "Top 40" dancer and has most recently completed her second season as a veteran on the New York Jets Flight Crew this 2019 season.

 Andrew Burleson, a North Carolina native, is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, with a BFA in dance with a concentration in choreography and a minor in Business Administration.  He has been dancing since the age of 3 training in various forms including ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, tap, modern and dance composition. Andrew has toured nationally with a dance convention, where he was given the opportunity to assist top choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Best Dance Crew, Disney’s Shake It Up, Step Up 2 and Britney Spears. Andrew works as a guest teacher and choreographer for over twenty dance studios across the United States, taught at college dance programs, and worked for several dance competitions both as a judge and event director. He enjoys being able to empower the future generation of dancers, and has an innate ability of encouraging and bringing out the best in his students. In 2019, he began and is the Creative Director of Coalition Dance Project, LLC, a traveling teaching and choreographic company that focuses on providing a positive and empowering environment to teach and choreograph in. Andrew is continually encouraged by those he teaches when he sees their passion for dance. 

Miss Andrea started dancing at age 10.  Her passion for dance led her to dance competitively from the age of 11 until she graduated high school.  Miss Andrea went on to further her education in dance at Montclair State University where she graduated in 2002 with Bachelors of Arts Degree in Dance and Bachelors of Science Degree in Food and Nutrition.  She went on to further her education and holds Masters of Science degree in Health Systems Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. Miss Andrea has continued to support her passion for dance and healthy living by been teaching the youngest of dancers for over 20 years.  Miss Andrea believes in the artistic potential of each student. She encourages creative expression, hard-work, and FUN through every genre of dance! 

“As a teacher I want to foster an environment that creates wonderful memories for you and your dancer! I am honored to be a part of the PAD family.”

Marissa Herrmann was born and raised in northern New Jersey, Marissa started dancing at just two years old. Growing up dancing competitively, she was trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and pointe. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Montclair State University. At MSU, she performed works choreographed by renowned choreographers such as Stacey Tookey, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Christian Von Howard and Earl Mosley. Marissa has been seen in various music videos, including "Fresh Prince of Belaire" by Dave East ft. Rick Ross. Most recently, she has performed for the Legends of Freestyle Tour, and has backup danced for 80s pop artists such as Cynthia, C-Bank and Joe Zangie. Along with performing, Marissa enjoys teaching dance to the younger generation of dancers. She believes that the arts are a crucial part of a child's education; allowing them to find a balance between structure and creativity. In addition to dance, she has a passion for fitness. In 2018, she decided to pursue her passion and got certified in Barre by Barre and Beyond. She currently is an instructor at Jane DO and teaches group fitness and dance cardio classes. Marissa is honored to be a staff member at Prestige and looks forward to sharing her passion and knowledge with the young dancers! 

Yvonne Setlock, a New Jersey native, graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance with a minor in Business.  While at Montclair State University, Yvonne studied many different modern techniques such as Limón, Taylor, Horton, and O’Donnell. She also performed in works by various choreographers such as Jessica DiMauro, Lynne Grossman, Christian Von Howard, Nancy Lushington, Frederick Earl Mosley, Mark Morris, Antony Tudor, and an original work by Larry Keigwin.  In 2015, Yvonne had the opportunity to perform José Limón’s A Choreographic Offering at The Joyce Theater in New York City.  In 2016, Yvonne had the opportunity to perform Martha Graham’s Panoramaat the Martha Graham Studios.  In 2017, Yvonne accepted a performing contract with Norwegian Cruise Lines to join the Norwegian Gem vessel.  She performed in three main stage shows: Swing! The Broadway Musical, Get Down Tonight, and Blazing Boots.  Yvonne was fortunate enough to even work with the director and choreographer of Swing, Lynne Taylor-Corbett. While in rehearsals, Yvonne also trained in being a Bungee Dancer for Swing as well as being the “West Coast Swing” feature couple.  Yvonne is now a NJ Certified Teacher of Dance for grades K-12 for public schools.  She currently teaches middle school students in East Rutherford, NJ.  Yvonne continues to teach and choreograph all styles of dance such as Tap, Jazz, and Contemporary/Lyrical.  She is the choreographer of Candance’s Junior National Champs 2019 group “Hanuman”.  Yvonne loves teaching at Prestige Academy of Dance, and it will forever be her home.

Melissa West has over 20 years of dance training in tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, contemporary and modern styles. She was apart of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble for six years and performed with the company at numerous theatres including, Lincoln Center, in a tribute to Duke Ellington. She has danced for Disney, Kmart, the New York Knicks and Liberty at Madison Square Garden, and has appeared dancing on the Queen Latifah television talk show. Melissa is also the assistant director of Nick DiNicolangelo’s Hands Down Tap Project, a tap company bringing together elite tappers from all over the U.S. Melissa assists classes across the nation at Adrenaline Dance Convention and is one of the youngest faculty members at Syncopate Tap Intensive working among some of the industries top teachers and choreographers. She continues to teach all styles of dance and choreographs high scoring competitive routines throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. She has also studied dance throughout college and now has a BA dance minor degree from Montclair State University. With a BA in psychology, focus on elementary education, and teaching certification for grades K-6, she is well rounded in her teaching styles. Melissa hopes to make a positive impact on the dance world and share her passion for the arts with other

Victoria Agrifolio is from Fairfield, New Jersey and began dancing at age three. She studied at the School of American Ballet for five years, and while at the School, she danced in student workshops and performed roles in multiple productions with the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, including George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Mozartiana, amongst others. Victoria had the opportunity to dance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, perform during the Lincoln Center Tree Lighting, and appear in the movie Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake. She was a member of New Jersey Ballet’s Junior Company and performed major roles with their main company including Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, and others. She spent her summers training with the Miami City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Victoria graduated with degrees in both dance and journalism from New York University in 2017. While there, she had the opportunity to perform works by Trisha Brown, Stefanie Batten Bland, Giada Ferrone, Cherylyn Lavagnino, Jeremy Nelson, and others. She performed in the Santa Fe Opera’s production of Die Fledermaus with choreography by Seán Curran and was also part of the domestic and international tours of “Isadora” starring Natalia Osipova with choreography from Vladimir Varnava. Victoria continues to take class, perform, and teach.

Francesca Nieves began her training as a young girl under the tutelage of Zelma Bustillo,  Lisa Lockwood and later Leslie Browne.  She grew up studying Tap, Jazz, Modern, Flamenco, Ballroom Dance and Ballet.  Ms. Nieves is a graduate from the University of Michigan (UM) where she received a BFA in Dance and a BA in Sociology. At UM she studied with Amy Chavasse, Bill DeYoung, Daniel Gwirtzman, Judy Rice and Sandra Torijano. As a pre-professional she performed with the Ballet Hispanico Ensemble under the direction of Zelma Bustillo where she performed for Mayor Blumberg, City Hall in NYC, Good Morning America, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, JP Morgan Chase, Plaza Hotel, Grand Hyatt, the Walk to Cure Diabetes (Queens, NY and Battery Park, NY), the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Hispanic Society of America.  As part of the UM dance company, she performed works such as Merce Cunningham's Minevent, Carolyn Dorfman's Cat's Cradle, Laura Dean's Impact as well as other faculty pieces.  In 2009, Ms. Nieves traveled to Costa Rica to perform for the nationally renowned band, Editus in the Auditorio Nacional de Costa Rica.  Francesca Nieves started her professional dance career at at age 16 at Ballet Hispanico in 2006; in 2008 she became full Company member. With Ballet Hispanico, she has performed works by Tina Ramirez, Willie Rosario, Pedro Ruiz, and Alexander Magno. She joined New Jersey Ballet in 2011 and has performed in Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Don Quixote, Death and the Maiden, Giselle (Full length), Nutcracker, Pinocchio, and Sleeping Beauty.  Francesca is currently freelancing and devotes much of her time to teaching in studios in and around the tristate area.

Justine Capria Morrill  a native of New Jersey, graduated from the University of the Arts in 2009, with a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance. Justine was a member of The Xhale Dance Company in Philadelphia where she choreographed and danced in numerous performances including the Philly Fringe Festival. Justine was a part of Marinspired the storyteller’s, under the direction of Marinda Davis, where she performed in the company’s NYC debut “Breakable,” and also performed at the Capezio A.C.E awards. She has also performed in two APAP showcases at Peridance Capezio Center in NYC, works by Michael Susten and Marinda Davis. Justine can be seen on season 5 of The Dr. Oz show as an OZ dancer, along side Stepp Stewart. Aside from performing Justine Capria Morrill has a passion for teaching and choreographing for award winning competitive dance studios, dance teams, and performing arts high schools throughout.  New Jersey where her work has received numerous choreography awards.

Ashley graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance with a concentration in studio teaching. She has worked with various choreographers and has been in multiple pieces during her time there including but not limited to, Nancy Lushington, Karen Gayle, Earl Mosely, Jay T Jenkins, and Joao Carvalho. Ashley has danced professionally for five years as an NFL Cheerleader for the New York Jets and has performed at numerous media/promotional appearances and charity events. She also has performed on various morning shows such as Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, and CBS2 NY. She has also performed during pregame at SuperBowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium and Various events in Time Square during the week leading up to the big game.  Ashley is the head coach for the Raritan High School Dance Team and is the Spring Musical Choreographer. She is an award winning choreographer and has worked with students of all ages ranging from 2-18. Above all, Ashley creates a positive and dynamic class, combined with her enthusiastic personality and heartfelt energy that shows off her passion for dance! Ashley is very excited to share her passion with the students at Prestige Academy of Dance!

Michael Susten is a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance and was honored with the Choreography Prize upon graduation. In 2006 Michael moved to Orlando, Florida to pursue a job offer at the Walt Disney World Resorts, where he went on to perform in “The Festival of the Lion King” and Magic Kingdom’s “Trolley” Show. He then became a seasonal employee and continued to perform over the next five years. He also had the opportunity to choreograph and perform for Disney’s ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade. While a sophomore in college, Michael created the Xhale Dance Company, a contemporary company based in the heart of Philadelphia. He produced and directed eleven shows while he was still a student. In addition to their seasonal productions, the company also performed in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, The Koresh Artist Showcase and The Choreographer’s Canvas.  After graduation Michael continued producing his company, while teaching at studios in the Tri-State Area, including Dance New Amsterdam in NYC. In 2010 Michael and his dancers were selected to showcase his work in the Dance Underneath the Stars Choreography Festival in Palm Springs, California. The Xhale Dance Company also had the opportunity to perform as a guest with Tracie Stanfield’s Synthesis Dance Project, before celebrating its 5th Anniversary concert, here at the Salvatore Capezio Theatre at Peridance.  Michael was honored to be a finalist in the International Choreography Competition at Jazz Dance World Congress. He was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine (November 2012 issue) and also won the video of the month. This March Michael had the debut of his new company Michael Susten & Company which was a two night sold out even held in NYC. This May Michael showcased his work in the Pushing Progress Showcase for the second time. Michael Susten is currently on the guest artist roster at Broadway Dance Center in NYC and is an adjudicator and master class teacher for regional and national competitions and continues to travel the country to educate and inspire young artists.

Kristin Seneca is one of the most diverse dancers in the industry. She has extensive commercial and conservatory based training, has a BA degree in Dance Education with a Minor in Business from Montclair State University’s College of the Arts and is a certified Zumba fitness instructor. Some of her performance credits include Kat DeLuna’s “Drop It Low” music video, The Wendy Williams Show, Crystal Waters @ Madison Square Garden, artist DOMO (The Voice – Season 3), Hip Hop Squares on MTV2, Legends of Freestyle Tours for artists Rockell, Cynthia, Joe Zangie, Noel and hip hop legends The Sugar Hill Gang, Radio City Music Hall, The Moscow Ballet’s “Russian Nutcracker”, Taj Mahal Arena, Disneyworld, World of Dance, KTU’s Beatstock at PNC Arts Center & Jones Beach, Coca-Cola, NJPAC and a private event for Madonna.  Kristin is a member of Rhythm City Entertainment, Ashle Dawson’s Breaking Comformity Productions, Latin Fusion Dance Project and has been a cast member of the “Dead Man’s Party” show at Six Flags Great Adventure’s Fright Fest for the past 3 seasons. She is on staff at various studios in the tristate area (teaching ages 2 through adult), teaches masters classes, is an award winning choreographer & is the co-creator of the “unbreakable” workshop focusing on injury prevention for dancers (launching this season). Kristin is honored & excited to be on staff and looks forward to sharing her passion, knowledge and experience with the talented dancers at Prestige Academy of Dance!  

Chris Hale is a constant student of the world driven by achieving goals and conquering new skill. While dance has always been the constant in his life, he has continued to have many interests and an insatiable desire to learn. This thirst for knowledge coupled with his need to achieve has lead him to pursue many passions over the years. Chris is certified in GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® methodologies and The ABT® National Teacher Training Curriculum from Pre-Primary-Level 5. Alongside Pushing Progress Contemporary Dance Director Calen Kurka he helmed the Pushing Progress Contemporary Training Program and through a scientific approach to dance with a focus on goal setting and mindset inspired by the works of Eckhart Tolle, Brené Brown, Oprah, Elizabeth Gilbert, Marianne Williamson and many more, was able to successfully train dancers who have gone on to dance for and create some of NYC’s top emerging artists and companies. Upon falling in love with the fitness phenomenon SoulCycle he auditioned for a highly coveted spot in their instructor training and fulfilled a personal goal of becoming an instructor. Whether dancing back up on the stage at Madison Square Garden with such artists as Mary J. Blige, Tamia, Deborah Cox and Michael Jackson or working opposite Kim Catrall in the Emmy Award Winning HBO series Sex and the City, to teaching at the ABT NYC Summer Intensive, Chris is a collection of all of his varied experiences and brings that into every class he teaches. With a deep rooted belief that personal development and healthy striving are the key to success he inspires students to take the reigns of their education and life into their own hands to become anything they set their hearts to. Chris’ most recent adventure found him in the world of higher education as adjunct faculty at Montclair State University’s rigorous BFA program