Inquiries? Email: info@padnj.com

 Our faculty is composed of world-class performers and educators who have worked with some of the most renowned companies and stars in the industry, including Broadway productions such as Fun Home, national tours, Ballet Hispánico, New Jersey Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Cirque du Soleil. Their performance credits span the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Celine Dion’s A New Day in Las Vegas, and regional theatres across the country. Collectively, they have danced alongside icons like Lady Gaga, Madonna, Usher, Justin Timberlake, and have appeared on hit television shows including The Good Wife, Gossip Girl, and So You Think You Can Dance. With choreography credits for MTV, Nickelodeon, and the Kids’ Choice Awards, and teaching experience at Broadway Dance Center, Joffrey Ballet School, Millennium Dance Complex, and major universities, our faculty brings unparalleled expertise. Together, they combine professional artistry with a passion for mentoring the next generation, ensuring Prestige Academy of Dance students are inspired and trained to achieve at the highest level. 

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.

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.

Alexa, a Native of Wayne New Jersey, has been dancing since the age of 2 in styles such as tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, modern, musical theater,  and hip hop. By 5, she was competing across the US and won various awards and was recognized for her many technical dance abilities.

 A proud student of Dina Crupi, she was not only taught the fundamentals of the art of dance, but also was inspired to become a teacher and choreographer. At age 12, she began assisting, learning and growing under her guidance. 

Her dedication & passion to dance continued into college, where she  was a member of the Monmouth dance team and had the incredible opportunity to perform at prestigious venues across the US. 

 As an academic achiever, she earned a degree in Business from Monmouth, which further enhanced her skill set and opened doors for professional growth in a corporate setting.

She surrounds herself with all aspects of  living a healthy, fit lifestyle & actively participates in various fitness classes from Pilates to boxing, yoga, and conditioning. Alexa is honored to be a staff member at Prestige Academy of Dance, and looks forward to sharing her love and passion of dance with young dancers. 

Michael is the proud owner & director of The Susten Dance Collective and has a teaching and performing career of over 15 years. He holds a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance with a focus in choreography from the University of the Arts and was awarded the “Choreography Prize” upon graduation. 

He has been on faculty at Broadway Dance Center, The Joffrey Ballet School and STEPS on Broadway. He as also had the privilege of being a guest teacher at Point Park University, The University of Pennsylvania, Dean College, Millenium Dance Complex as well as numerous Performing Arts High Schools.  

As a choreographer, Michaels work has been showcased in the Philly Fringe Festival, The APAP Showcase, Pushing Progress Showcase, Koresh Artist Showcase and the Choreographers Canvas. His work has also been fortunate enough to be a finalist in the International Choreography Competition, Dance Underneath the Stars Choreography Festival and was the 2nd runner up at the Artist Simply Human Choreography Competition. He has been recognized by Dance Studio Magazine and Dance Teacher magazine and was featured in their story “An Eye for Professionalism.” 

Michael was a cast member at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida for five years and had the opportunity to perform in the Festival of the Lion King, Magic Kingdoms Welcome Show and The Main Street Trolly Show.

Michael has produced and directed over twenty dance concerts with Xhale Dance Company and Michael Susten & Company. Performing sold out concerts in Philadelphia and NYC. Debbie Allen said “Michael Susten creates beautiful and original work” and a review in NYCStuff said “Michael Susten is a choreographer who is unafraid to explore the dynamics of motion and emotion, his choreography is athletic with a balletic undertone.” 

Michael has had the honor of working with so many talented dancers over the years, being a mentor to them and helping them achieve their goals. The Michael Susten & Company summer workshop completed its 6th workshop, providing dancers with an experience to work with some of the best choreographers/educators in the business. This summer he had dancers attend the event from New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California & Canada.

His students have been accepted to top dance Universities around the country (Point Park, PACE, Oklahoma City, University of the Arts, Fordham, NYU & Boston Conservatory) and has students performing in dance companies, Broadway and theme parks around the world. 

After years of traveling the country to teach, choreograph and judge, Michael is excited to build a home at The Susten Dance Collective where he hopes to inspire dancers for years to come! He’s very excited to be returning to Prestige Academy of Dance this year and looking forward to working with their very talented dancers! 

Melissa West has over 30 years of dance training in tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, contemporary and modern styles. She was a member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble for six years and performed with the company at numerous theaters including New Jersey Performing Arts Center and New York City's Lincoln Center, in a tribute to Duke Ellington. At a young age Melissa 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 a founding member of Nick DiNicolangelo’s Hands Down Tap Project, a tap company bringing together elite tappers from all over the U.S. She continues to train and perform with Hands Down Tap Project as acting dance captain of the company. Melissa has assisted classes across the nation at Adrenaline and Revive Dance Conventions and was a founding faculty member at former Syncopate Tap Intensive working among some of the industry's top teachers and choreographers. She has also studied dance throughout college and now has a BA dance minor degree from Montclair State University. With an additional BA degree in psychology, focus on elementary education, and teaching certification for grades K-6, she is well rounded in her teaching styles and techniques. Melissa currently teaches various styles of dance (specializing in tap) and choreographs high scoring competitive routines throughout the country. Currently, she is the tap director at Northeast Dance Project, located in East Hanover, New Jersey while also teaching and choreographing tap pieces at In The Spotlight in Waldwick, NJ. Melissa strives to make a positive impact on the dance world and loves to share her passion for the arts with others.

 Skylar Rienert began her dance education at New  Hampshire School of Ballet. She pursued her  Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance for 2 years at  SUNY Purchase, and finished her degree at  Montclair State University. At Montclair, she has  had the privilege to dance in works by Ohad  Naharin, Stefanie Batten Bland, Gregory  Dolbashian, Maxine Steinman, and Christian von  Howard. Skylar professionally performed at the  Mckittrick Hotel in 2023, and has been teaching  and choreographing for the past 7 years. She has  choreographed numerous works for NH, MA, NJ,  CT, and NY studios, as well as Montclair State  University receiving the Choreographic Excellence  Award. She is co-owner of Inception Dance  Intensive, founded in 2019. Miss Rienert also has  worked with Boston Dance Theatre Company  trainees professional program. Skylar has won  numerous choreography and performance awards,  including American Dance Awards prestigious  Young Choreographer of the Year in 2021. She  continues to work as a growing artist throughout  New England, New Jersey, and New York. 

Michael Crawford is from Takoma Park, Maryland. He began dancing with prestigious schools, including the Maryland Youth Ballet and Kirov Academy, with summer intensives at The Rock School and San Francisco Ballet on full scholarships. In his senior year, he was accepted into the Kennedy Center’s

Mr. Crawford then moved on to the Washington Ballet where, in their top training program, he performed with the company under the direction of Septime Webre. Upon graduation, he went on to study and perform in the Professional Division of The Pacific Northwest Ballet under the direction of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell.

After Pacific Northwest Ballet, he danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Jose Mateo Ballet, Ballet Memphis, American Repertory Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, and Oakland Ballet. At these companies, he performed several ballets as a principal artist. Currently on SAB faculty.

Brianna Izquierdo is a 22-year-old dancer from New Jersey who studied dance at Passaic County Technical High School, was in the National Honors Society for Dance, and graduated in 2020. Brianna is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships including the 2018 NJPAC Hispanic Youth Showcase Scholarship, the 2019 State of New Jersey Artistic Merit and Leadership Award, and the 2020 State of New Jersey Governors Award for Arts Education & Artistic Excellence in Leadership in Dance. She has performed on the stage of World of Dance championships in LA, Hamilton the Musical NYC, Sybarite Gramercy Theater NYC, performed as a backup dancer for PNB rock, Bhad Bhabie, and been cast in multiple music videos. Some notable training includes being a member of the Royal Thieves hip-hop crew, Nitrogen The Company and Ven15. Brianna graduated from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance with a degree in Emerging Leaders Program. During her time there she received 2024 Student Leader of the Year Award and 2024 Organization of the Year Award. At Uarts, she has started her own company “Chaos”. She is excited to share her love of dance and can’t wait to dance with you all! 

For the past 23 years I have coached the sport of gymnastics and sports alike. I have had the pleasure to teach not just artistic gymnastics from recreational to level 9 but power tumbling (levels 4 to 9), sports acrobatics (level 4 to 9), beginning rhythmic gymnastics (floor only) Diving, Trampoline, powerlifting and olympic weightlifting. Due to my expertise and experience in the world of gymnastics, I have been teaching dancers for the past 18 years. This experience has allowed my skills and knowledge to grow, understand and create a curriculum specially for the needs of any dance level. 

In addition to my experience as a teacher/coach I have worked as an Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist for over 12 years, allowing me to be a more aware coach to an individual's physical abilities, creating a well rounded teaching experience. 

Haley Connington is a New Jersey native, who started dancing at the age of three, and began competing at the age of seven. She trained in various styles of dance such as, ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, lyrical, and hip-hop. Haley earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Florida State University. At FSU, she performed works choreographed by Anjali Austin, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Donna Uchizono, Yayun Li, and Aigars Larionovos. During her fall semester of senior year 2019, Haley interned at Broadway Dance Center working with the marketing team, learning the ropes of how to run a business. She is the fitness model for the 2020 Dance Spirit Magazine promoting exercises to help dancers, and athletes who have gone through a growth spurt, and also a model for the Broadway Dance Center’s 2020 marketing brochures for their upcoming summer professional semester. Haley choreographed a piece called Do You Remember for the BDC summer professional semester performance, showcased at the Dixon Place in New York City. Along with performing and modeling, Haley enjoys teaching dance to the younger generation of dancers. She has always been inspired by choreographers who test the limitations of gravity, and pushes dancers to be their very best by stepping outside of their comfort zone. She believes in the importance of dance education, and allowing her students to be creative and know how to represent their individuality. Haley is honored to be a staff member at Prestige Academy of Dance, and looks forward to sharing her love and passion of dance with young dancers. 

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.”

Nicole Kelly has been dancing since the age of four, and her passion for the art form has only grown over the past 19 years. A New Jersey native, Nicole is trained in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, modern,  and musical theatre, and loves sharing her knowledge and love of movement with her students.

She graduated from Montclair State University in 2024 and is a former graduate of Prestige Academy of Dance, where she studied with incredible mentors including Dina Crupi, Jamie Salmon, Michael Susten, and Kelby Brown.

Over the years, Nicole has been recognized with many awards, including being named 13 & Over National Solo Champion at the American Dance Awards (2018) and Candance (2019) along with National Miss. Teen Beyond the Stars in 2016. She has also modeled for Capezio and Discount Dance, and her career highlights include gracing Dance Spirit magazine in 2017, the cover of Candance regional program and serving as the very first Ambassador for Breakout Dance Competition.

Nicole is beyond excited to join the faculty and inspire her students with creativity, passion, and confidence—helping each dancer discover their own unique artistry.

  Sabrina Sperry is a communications major at Rutgers University with a lifelong passion for performance and athletics. A former Varsity Cheer Captain at Nutley High School, Sabrina is an experienced tumbler with a strong background in competitive cheerleading. She currently serves as the tumbling coach for the VHS competitive cheer team, where she shares her expertise and inspires the next generation of athletes.

In addition to cheer, Sabrina spent much of her childhood and teen years training and competing in dance. She received extensive training at Prestige Academy of Dance and worked with some of the most respected instructors in the dance industry. Her years of dedication to dance and cheer have shaped her into a versatile athlete and mentor who leads with both skill and heart.

Kamryn Spagnuolo has been dancing since the age of 2 in styles such as tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, modern, musical theater, hip hop and some forms of ballroom. In addition to her dance training, she’s also been trained in singing, acting and is a self-taught contortionist since the age of 13. Kamryn spent some time training in NYC at a dance conservatory and has also done numerous workshops, drop-in/master classes and dance conventions. She has since choreographed/co-choreographed dances, co-choreographed musicals some in which she also performed in since the age of 12 and has been teaching for now 5 years. She’s also helped choreograph for up and coming artists as well as dance alongside them for music videos and performances amongst doing other dance performances for Honda and event at MetLife stadium. Kamryn continues her dance training today at places like Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center, Steps On Broadway. She has even gotten to take from big name dancers like Guy Groove, Tiler Peck, Gianna Martello, Chantelle Aguirre, Eva Igo, Lisa La Touche and Chloe Arnold. Currently she is apart of a dance company called Transcendence Dance Company where they have performed at a variety of places one being World Of Dance. Kamryn hopes to bring the same passion she feels for dance to each of her students while building each and every one of them up!

Bonnie started dancing at the age of 3 and began competing at age 8. She has trained in various styles of dance including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, hip hop, acro, and pom. She won such titles as Miss Dance of Pennsylvania, Dancer of the Year New Jersey, and Miss Dance of the United States. She attended The College of New Jersey, where she was a 4 year member and 2 year captain of the nationally ranked dance team. Bonnie worked for Universal Dance Association for 3 years where she was quickly promoted to Region Leader for the Northeast and a Head Instructor. She travelled the country running competitions and teaching middle school, high school, and collegiate dance teams. Bonnie's proudest professional accomplishment was becoming a 3 year member and 1 year co-captain of the New Jersey Nets Dancers. She added to her teaching experience while working at preschools, elementary schools, and Gymboree Play & Learn. Bonnie strives to create a nurturing classroom environment where her students feel comfortable learning, expressing themselves, and most importantly having FUN! She’s so excited to work with all of the young talent at Prestige Academy of Dance!

 Kally grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska following her big brother Michael to rehearsals and auditions at local theaters. At the age of nine she landed the role of a mustached moon rabbit and her life was forever changed. She developed a love for stepping into other worlds and characters and, after graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University, took that love to New York City to pursue her dreams. Some career highlights include the Broadway and National Tour productions of Fun Home as well as regional productions of American Hero (George Street Playhouse), Into the Woods (TUTS), The Tall Girls (Alliance Theatre), Next to Normal (Baltimore Center Stage), Fifth of July (Williamstown Theatre Festival and Bay Street Theatre), Bus Stop (Fulton Theatre) Little Women (John Engeman Theatre). TV and Film credits include “The Good Wife,” “One Bad Choice” and she can be heard voicing characters and toys for Nickelodeon, Scholastic, Fisher Price. When she isn’t onstage she is a private acting coach, academic tutor, and baby and toddler music teacher! Her favorite role job, however, is being the mom of Winnie and Otis!