Melissa started dancing at the age of 4, training in ballet, jazz and tap until the age of 13 when she decided to focus on her horse. Her love of dance never went away and in University, she took her first ever belly dance class where she fell in love with all aspects of it: the movement, the beauty, the culture. She studied Raqs Sharqi with Kara Culp and discovered Tribal Fusion through Invoketress alumni Rachelle Clinch. In 2014, she started taking classes with Ishra, where she continued her training both in Tribal Fusion, Raqs Sharqi, and learned folkloric styles as well. Melissa has also studied American Tribal Style® with Mary Snow of the Invoketress troupe and is a current member of the Invoketress Tribal Fusion troupe, Divine Eclipse. Melissa has further developed her training with workshops from Melissa Gamal, Zoe Jakes, Rachel Brice, Silvia Salamanca and Roula Said.
Photo by SCurve Photography.