Melissa Moore began dance lessons in 1971 and never looked back. Melissa was a Carolina Dance Masters protégé. Teaching for the past 38 years, Melissa became certified to teach through Dance Masters of America. She has studied extensively on the convention circuit, and in NYC for decades. She also had the honor and privilege to study tap dancing privately from master teacher and performer Henry LeTang in his Las Vegas studio. A career teacher, Melissa Moore has been afforded the pleasure of teaching students in both private and public schools in North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington State, including the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, and as an adjunct professor at Salem High School PAC in Virginia Beach. She has also taught convention classes and adjudicated for Dance Masters chapter 27 in Oklahoma. Melissa teaches Ballet, Tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, acrobatics, hip hop, and musical theater dance. Melissa is the Executive Director at Academie de Ballet, a multi-genre dance school in Virginia, where she has taught for the past twenty four years. Melissa also serves as a lead choreographer for Masterworks Performing Arts, a pre-professional ballet company. A competition circuit judge for many years, Melissa is the Competition dance team Director for the ADB AllStars. She has been a private movement coach and commercial choreographer for singers and backup dancers, such as Frankie Beverly and Maze, Disney 757 artists, and Amanda Kay ( Ava Max). Melissa has choreographed talent routines for many competitors in the Miss America scholarship program, including Miss Virginia, Michaela Sigmon Conner. After an accident, Melissa retired from full-time teaching in 2014. She continues to mentor teachers, choreograph competition pieces, and subs classes of all levels and genres. Melissa has many students that have gone on to dance professionally- Some in commercial dance (music video work, tap companies, and cruise line work)and some with companies such as: Nashville Ballet, Israeli Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Memphis, Pittsburgh Ballet, Todd Rosenlieb Dance, Faye Driscoll NYC, and Carolina Ballet. Her students have also been selected for programs at The Juilliard, Joffrey Ballet, UNCSA, Joffrey Contemporary, American Ballet Theater, Alvin Ailey Dance, Dance Theater of Harlem, Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester, and the Harid Conservatory, among others. She has trained and choreographed for contemporary finalists at Youth America Grand Prix, and was a 2 time choreographer / performer for the Seattle Tap Festival. Melissa is proud of her many students who have also chosen to be dance educators- as they are the roots that keep the dance tree strong and growing! Melissa lives in Norfolk with her husband Ron, and has two wonderful adult daughters, who also dance and choreograph.