KELLY ANN VITACCA

FOUNDER / DIRECTOR / MENTOR

 Kelly Ann Vitacca is from Chicago, Illinois, where she trained and later founded the professional contemporary jazz company, Inaside Chicago. She received her Bachelor’s in Performing Arts in Dance Performance at Oklahoma City University and extended Arts Management master studies at Columbia College, Chicago.

She has worked in arts management with Houston Ballet, Dance Houston, Dance/USA and the Houston Independent School District (HISD), among others. She served on the dance faculty at Joel Hall Dance Center, State Street Dance Studio, and the Wright College Dance Program.

Ms. Vitacca’s vast artistic achievements, arts management experience, industry networks, and dedication to advance the dance art form allowed her to pioneer Vitacca Vocational School for Dance in 2012.

KRISTIN LINDSAY ORZA

The WOODLANDS SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Kristin Lindsay Orza received her early training from Virginia Stapleton before joining Marin Dance Theatre. She was accepted into the career program at MDT under the direction of Margaret Swarthout, former soloist with The Royal Ballet, whose mentorship helped shape the careers of many young dancers. Kristin enjoyed an eight-year professional career performing and touring with Ballet Florida and Company C Contemporary Ballet.

Transitioning into teaching, Kristin joined the faculty at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, where she worked closely with advanced students who achieved remarkable success at YAGP and other international competitions. She taught, coached, and prepared dancers for elite-level performances, and took great pride in helping them secure acceptances into prestigious programs such as English National Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School. Kristin also assisted in staging a Swan Lake suite for the school’s end-of-year spring performance, bringing the classic to life with technical precision and artistic depth.

AARON ORZA

DIrector OF CLASSICAL BALLET

Aaron Orza former San Francisco Ballet Company Member, Ballet Master of Rock School for Dance Education and Youth America Grand Prix Outstanding Teacher comes from a deeply rooted classical ballet family. Both of his parents danced for Oakland Ballet, and all five siblings trained with or danced professionally for companies such as San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and others abroad. As a young dancer, Aaron received most of his training at San Francisco Ballet School. He also attended the School of American Ballet during the summers, and in 1997 was invited to stay for the year—becoming part of the last generation to study under the legendary Stanley Williams.

Shortly after, he returned to San Francisco Ballet to complete his training and was awarded a contract, launching a 13-year career with the company. During his tenure, Aaron performed works by George Balanchine, John Neumeier, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Val Caniparoli, and many others—an experience he describes as a rich artistic upbringing surrounded by some of the finest dancers, choreographers, and coaches in the world. Aaron considers himself fortunate to have grown up during one of ballet’s golden eras—when mentorship, discipline, and rigorous training were held to the highest standard. At San Francisco Ballet, he studied under teachers such as Jorge Esquivel and Irina Jacobson, and at SAB, under Stanley Williams and Andrei Kramarevsky. These formative experiences continue to inform his teaching and mentoring today. After retiring from performing, Aaron found a deep passion for teaching and coaching.