Currently under contract with Milwaukee Ballet
Melissa began her training at the age of five and continued uninterrupted at the Long Beach Ballet. During the summer she received scholarships to such schools as Houston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. She was awarded second place in the Music Center's Spotlight Competition and 1995 and performed the role of Clara in The Nutcracker with Los Angeles Classical Ballet for three years. In 1997 she toured with the Company to Taiwan, and in 1998 to China, performing the role of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1999 she began working with the Milwaukee Ballet as an apprentice and joined the company as a full member in 2000. In August of 2001 Melissa accompanied Mr. Wilcox once again on a three week tour of mainland China performing in Aladdin. After three years with the Milwaukee Ballet, Melissa returned home and is working a freelance dancer with the Los Angeles Opera and local dance companies, as well as teaching at the Long Beach Ballet Academy.