STAFF

Owner / Artistic Director / Choreographer

VaNavia McClendon

VaNavia McClendon has over 25 years of dance experience as a performer, choreographer, and artistic director. In 2015, VaNavia founded Prestige Arts Company (PAC) to focus on training competition dancers and those who wish to pursue dance in college and professionally.

PAC dancers have been accepted to prestigious programs including the Bridge Into the Industry Program with Shannon Mather, Edge Performing Arts Center in L.A., Interlochen School for Performing Arts, River North Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Chicago, Theatre Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas, and Broadway Dance Center Professional Dance Program in NY.

PAC alumni have been seen on the television broadcast of the Grammy Awards, the ACE Awards in New York City, and on Broadway. Several dance professionally in Las Vegas, NV, and throughout the United States and Europe.

PAC dancers are also members of nationally recognized collegiate dance teams, including The Ohio State University and Purdue dance teams.

In addition to running her own studio and competition team, VaNavia also teaches master classes, provides choreography for studios across the country, and judges regional and national dance competitions.

Amanda Caudillo

Acro & Flexibility Technique

Amanda Caudillo has been a dancer since the age of four. Throughout her career, she has studied with many incredible teachers including Gus Giordano as well as Joe Tremaine, winning titles and scholarships along the way.

Amanda began teaching dance along with coaching power tumbling at the age of 16, leading gymnasts level 7 through 10 along with choreographing floor and beam routines. As a dance educator, Amanda regularly teaches throughout Illinois, Indiana and Michigan where her dancers have won numerous national titles.

In addition to her work with dance studios, Amanda has worked with multiple school dance teams in Illinois and Indiana. Many of Amanda's students have gone on to live their dreams as professional dancers, including her own daughter. Amanda's instruction is recognized for training skills, flexibility and strength in any style of dance.

Amanda is passionate about meeting new and hard working dancers; she inspires them because they inspire her.

Morgan Kelly

Ballet

Morgan Kelly began dancing at an early age. She joined a competitive dance company at Elite Dance Center under the direction of Jillian Dudek. She had the opportunity to train at The Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago under the tutelage of Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik, former dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia. She later graduated from the Joffrey Academy’s pre-professional program.

While training at the Joffrey, Ms. Morgan performed in many full-length classical ballets such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, multiple Nutcrackers, The Spring Gala at the Roosevelt Theatre, and an original work by Alexei Kremnev, The BlueBird of Happiness.

Ms. Morgan danced ballet professionally with a touring company where she performed across the country dancing in multiple principle, soloist and corp de ballet roles. While touring, Ms. Morgan taught ballet and formerly directed a pre-professional division. Ms. Morgan spent time dancing at American Ballet Theatre while living in New York, as well as the Nashville Ballet and Indiana University.

Ms. Morgan is a graduate of Arizona State University. She is an ABT® Certified Teacher, having successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She is also a certified Pilates and Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor.

Molly Rabe

Molly Rabe is a dance instructor, choreographer, team coach, and former competitive director originally from Wisconsin. She began taking classes from Sue Darrow's School of Dance in Plymouth, Wisconsin at the age of 3. She studied tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, and hip hop throughout her childhood and was a dedicated member of both the Dancescape Ballet Company and the Ultimate Tap/Jazz Company. In high school, Molly was a 4-year member of Kiel High School's Varsity Dance Team and served as a captain her junior year. While attending college, Molly danced in and choreographed for the Valparaiso University Dance Ensemble and studied jazz, lyrical, tap, and contemporary styles.

For the last eight years, Ms. Molly served as the Competitive Director for a small studio in Plymouth, Wisconsin, and taught a variety of styles. Her choreography has won many regional titles, namely for the detailed instruction and clean routines she gives to novice level dancers. In addition to studio teaching, Molly has coached and choreographed for a number of high school dance teams in Wisconsin. Ms. Molly's passion is creating a space where dance is accessible and enjoyable to everyone.

Danielle Izzo

Hip-Hop

Danielle Izzo began her dance training at the age of 5 years old at a local park district taking ballet, tap, and jazz until the age of 8. She transferred to a new studio at the age of 9, where she began her training in hip hop. Soon after, she became a member of the Hip Hop ConnXion Family based out of Wheeling, IL and Aurora, IL. Hip Hop ConnXion is a globally known professional hip hop dance company that she was a part of for over 12 years. Through Hip Hop ConnXion, she has performed at Dance Chicago, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Sky, and Chicago Fire games, World of Dance, Carnival Choreographers Ball, Prelude, THE ONE, highest level competitions, such as World Hip Hop Championships, and many other various performances around the Chicagoland area. The company’s mission is to inspire others to be the best they can be, to educate our youth to make positive choices, and to be good role models in our community. Hip Hop ConnXion performed at approximately 50 shows a year, which included performances at fundraisers and other programs like DEA Youth Dance Program.

Danielle has also had the opportunity to work on various music videos with Chicago artists and be in the movie DREAMS. She has attended numerous hip hop workshops throughout the years where she has been recognized and received many scholarship awards. These workshops are a way for her to continue her training to bring more knowledge to her students. Danielle has taught hip hop at various studios around the northwest suburbs such as Midwest Edge Dance Academy, Faubourg School of Ballet, On Your Toes Dance Academy, and Turning Pointe Academy of Dance. Currently, she is teaching at Jenny’s Dance Centre in Libertyville, IL and Prestige Arts Dance Studio in Valparaiso, IN. In addition, she is also a dancer for A-Z Entertainment, Ltd., which provides entertainment at events such as bar or bat Mitzvahs.

Through school opportunities, Danielle was also part of her high school poms and orchesis teams at Prospect High School. In her junior and senior year, she was the head choreographer for both teams. Danielle has received her Bachelors of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology at Elmhurst College and also minored in dance. At Elmhurst University she was a member of the poms squad for 4 years and was the captain her junior year. Danielle has received her Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Midwestern University. Currently, when she isn’t teaching dance, she is working as a speech language pathologist at Stevenson High School through the Exceptional Learners Collaborative (ELC). Danielle has a passion for dance and hopes to inspire all her students she works with.

Morgan Walls

Morgan Walls began training with VaNavia in 2011 and is an original member of Prestige Arts Company. In her nine years of competing, she was a consistent winner including several first-place finishes in regional and top ten finishes during national competitions. She was the 2019 No Limits MVP winner at the Tremaine competition and convention in Indianapolis.

After graduating from Valparaiso High School, Morgan moved to Los Angeles, CA to train with award-winning choreographer, Shannon Mather as part of the Bridge into the Industry Program. She has worked with prominent choreographers and instructors throughout the dance world including Shannon Mather, Nicole Smith, Addison Holmes, Krista Doherty and Tessandra Chavez.

Morgan is thrilled to be on staff with PAC and bring her experience and passion to younger dancers.