Our Mission
Here at Protégé we celebrate our students and encourage them to celebrate the art of dance!
Our mission is to develop young artists by offering the finest training in all styles
of dance and performing arts. We provide a nurturing and supportive environment for
students of all ages to fine tune their craft as we help them realize their full potential as artists.
We aim to develop the performer as a whole by building skills, discipline and confidence
that will support them throughout their lives.
Our mission is to develop young artists by offering the finest training in all styles
of dance and performing arts. We provide a nurturing and supportive environment for
students of all ages to fine tune their craft as we help them realize their full potential as artists.
We aim to develop the performer as a whole by building skills, discipline and confidence
that will support them throughout their lives.
Kelly Salvatore, Owner/Artistic Director
Hello and welcome to Protégé Performing Arts!
This studio is a dream come true for me and I can't wait to share my passion for dance with each of you! It is my hope that Protégé becomes a second home for our students. I have such great memories as a young dancer at my home studio and I am excited to share my knowledge and experience with generations to come by creating a safe space for them to learn, grow and make lifelong friends!
I began dancing at 7 years old and haven't stopped since! I have trained at renowned studios throughout Southern California and studied under highly skilled teachers and choreographers. They nurtured my passion for dance through many years of classes, performances and competitions. Their impact on my life was so profound that I was inspired to become a teacher myself and I have been teaching and choreographing for the past 22 years! My choreography credits include Disney music videos, commercials, musical theatre productions, studio competitions and countless recitals! I also love to perform and feel lucky to have danced around the world for many different choreographers in a variety of shows and concerts. I have also found a passion for video editing as I have been editing for Disney Home Entertainment, Universal, HBO and Lionsgate for over a decade.
Here at Protégé we consider our students family and we can't wait for you to join us!
This studio is a dream come true for me and I can't wait to share my passion for dance with each of you! It is my hope that Protégé becomes a second home for our students. I have such great memories as a young dancer at my home studio and I am excited to share my knowledge and experience with generations to come by creating a safe space for them to learn, grow and make lifelong friends!
I began dancing at 7 years old and haven't stopped since! I have trained at renowned studios throughout Southern California and studied under highly skilled teachers and choreographers. They nurtured my passion for dance through many years of classes, performances and competitions. Their impact on my life was so profound that I was inspired to become a teacher myself and I have been teaching and choreographing for the past 22 years! My choreography credits include Disney music videos, commercials, musical theatre productions, studio competitions and countless recitals! I also love to perform and feel lucky to have danced around the world for many different choreographers in a variety of shows and concerts. I have also found a passion for video editing as I have been editing for Disney Home Entertainment, Universal, HBO and Lionsgate for over a decade.
Here at Protégé we consider our students family and we can't wait for you to join us!
Our Teachers
KAILYN V. BROSKY • Kailyn started training in classical ballet at age 12 at the Performing Arts Center in Van Nuys, and Westside Ballet Academy in Santa Monica. She attended American Ballet Theater's Summer Intensives in New York City, and moved to Miami Beach Florida at 17 to join Miami City Ballet. After spending two years with MCB, she moved to Richmond VA to join her sister and dance with Richmond Ballet. She’s performed in Balanchine classics such as, Who Cares, Divertimento 13, and Four Temperaments. She’s also danced the roles of Clara in the Nutcracker, Snow Queen in the Nutcracker, The Canary Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and too many other ballets to count!
MCKENZI FAURIA • McKenzi has been dancing since she was three years old and has trained in the genres of Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, and Contemporary. She began training with Ms. Kelly at the age of seven at Gotta Dance Studio. She then continued her training with an intense focus on Ballet, Pointe, and Variations. She spent a summer at Ballet Arizona summer intensive where she was able to further her training and experience what studying with a professional ballet company. McKenzi performed a variety of roles in the Nutcracker including Dewdrop Fairy, Snow Fairy, Mechanical Doll, Russian lead, Spanish lead, Mirliton, and Arabian lead. She also performed the role of the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, as well as Pas de Quatre and Shade variation in La Bayadere. Alongside classical dance, she was the captain of a national award winning dance team at Bishop Alemany High School, competing in the genres of Pom, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Jazz. She is currently studying Kinesiology and Dance at California State University, Northridge. McKenzi is so excited to bring her creativity and passion for dance to her students at Protégé!
JESSICA JAUCH • Jessica is thrilled to be starting her fifth year on faculty with Protégé and is excited to bring her love of dance to young hearts. Jessica started dancing at the age of 3. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Dance from California State University Long Beach in 2011. She was on Long Beach States dance team where her team placed 2nd in the Nation at the UDA National College Competition in Florida in 2010. After college she was a Dance Instructor with Webby Dance Company till 2013 where she shared her passion of dance in preschools and elementary schools. She has performed with Pacific Festival Ballet in their annual Nutcracker, Noah's Ark, Sea Princess, Heaven and Hell...the Journey, Bambi, Mary Poppins, The Secret Garden, and Peter Pan. Jessica spent her summer of 2005 at ABT Texas and 2004 at State Street Ballet. Jessica currently works in Hollywood as an Associate Casting Director for television and film at Central Casting.
LORETTA RICHERT • Loretta is a teacher, dancer, and artist. She began her studies at Dance Unlimited in Simi Valley where she competed in their award-winning jazz and hip-hop companies. Loretta then earned her degree in Dance and Photography from Loyola Marymount University in 2011. Shortly after graduating, she became fully certified in Bikram Yoga. Over the past seven years, Loretta has enjoyed working as a choreographer for dance studios, show choirs, and high schools as well as choreographing "first dances" for weddings. You can currently find her choreographing at Thousand Oaks High School. She is very excited to bring her experience and passion to Protégé Performing Arts!
DESTINY RIDGE • Destiny started training in dance and gymnastics when she was just 3 years old and she has continued to train competitively in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop ever since! When she moved to Washington state she joined Eastern Washington Elite Dance Team and won 2 National Championships and a World Championship in Hip-Hop. She was a member of the Arizona State Dance Team from 2014-2015 where she placed top 5 at UDA College Nationals as well as performing in the 2015 Super Bowl Pregame in Phoenix, AZ. The rest of her college career was spent on the University of Cincinnati Dance Team. Throughout her time on UCDT, she represented Team USA in Hip-Hop at the 2016 ICU World Championships and won the gold medal. In 2017, her team was named the National Champions in D1A Hip-Hop at UDA College Nationals. Destiny graduated from University of Cincinnati with a bachelors degree in Exercise and Fitness Health Education. She decided to move back to her hometown of Simi Valley, CA to pursue her dance dreams. She feels very lucky to teach here at Protégé Performing Arts.
MAZIE RUDOLPH • Mazie is so excited to join the Protégé family! Mazie is a Music Director, Pianist, Vocal Coach, Singer, and Actor. Mazie fell in love with piano at the age of 8, when she began taking lessons with Nina Kelly, whom she studied with for 10 years. During that time, Mazie received her Senior Award in the Certificate of Merit program for achievement in piano theory, sight reading, ear training, and performance. She went on to graduate from UC Irvine and become the Music Director at South Orange County School of the Arts, where she worked for 8 years and fell in love with teaching. Mazie spent a year in Colorado teaching piano lessons and working as the Music Director and Vocal Coach at Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids. She was also the music teacher at La Purisima School for grades K-8 where she taught weekly music classes in addition to leading their school choir. Mazie has extensive experience as a performer herself, working for theaters such as Musical Theatre West, La Mirada Theatre, Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, and Actors' Repertory Theatre of Simi. She has been a soloist with the Pacific Symphony, was featured in the Kennedy Center Broadway: Songs of Today and Tomorrow Concert Series, and has a single with Disney Records. Mazie has been the Music Director for the past 4 years for Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center and is currently working as an audition accompanist for Disneyland. She is so excited to share her love of music with her students!
YVETTE TARIO • Yvette was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She grew up singing, dancing, acting and tumbling since the age of 7. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Theatre from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Yvette began her teaching career in 2010 teaching in all dance styles, specializing in tumbling and hip-hop. She is best known for touring with Grammy award-winning singer Miguelito, dancing professionally for Norwegian Cruise Line, dancing for Cristina Quinones and opening for recording artist Tyga at the BET Pre-Party Show. Yvette's most recent acting job was with Telemundo in the telenovela Terapia De Amor. She has performed at the House of Blues, Universal City Walk and the Staples Center. Her experiences in the industry only make her more motivated to share all of her knowledge and experience with the new upcoming generation of performers! She plans to teach her students as many tools as she can to help shape them into their best selves here at Protégé Performing Arts!