Dance Explosion School of Performing Arts

DESPA Dance Faculty

The faculty of DESPA all work as one unit to be able to provide your student with the ultimate experience to help them grow as both a dancer, artist and a person. Please read their bios to get to know our instructors.

Ms. Melanie has been dancing since she was a "tot in a tutu". Her 20 years of training from some of the greatest teachers throughout the U.S., has given her the opportunity to teach, choreograph and inspire students in her own teaching. Miss Melanie has won awards at the regional and national level as both a performer and choreographer. She has attended summer intensives with ballet schools including UNCSA, Miami City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. She has also performed in multiple conventions, SERBA, as well as professional shows including Dracula, the Nutcracker (where she danced the Snow Queen), and The Tales of Beatrix Potter. She is proud of all of her students and is excited for great things to come! Miss Melanie is currently pursuing a Masters in Multicultural and Transnational Literature at ECU, she received her undergrad at UNCG with degrees in English, Dance, ASL, and Spanish.

Miss Logan comes to us to join the staff for the 2015 season. Miss Logan is an alumni of DESPA. She graduated our studio in June 2015. She began dancing at the age of three and began competitive dance at the age of five. She has been to multiple conventions including Shock! The Intensive and JUMP!. She has also workedchoreographers known worldwide to possess a vast knowledge of multiple styles of each area of discipline in dance. She has recieved multiple overall awards for her solo work at both national and regional levels. She is trained in the areas of ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, and lyrical. She has worked with dancers and aided in individuals being able to achieve their goals for the year. She has both assistant taught as well as instructional taught under Ms. Melanie and in past experiences. We are pleased to welcome her this season. She is currently at High Point University studying to become a Physician's Assitant.

Miss Jillian is an alumni from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she graduated with a contemporary dance degree. She has also won numerous regional and national awards as a dancer. She has performed and choreographed with the school, where she even danced the lead in UNCSA's premiere production of Oklahoma. Jillian has also been featured on So You Think You Can Dance. She has studied ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, musical theatre, contact improv, as well as choreography. She brings knowledge of the competition and the professional setting to help round our dancers in diverse settings. She began teaching master classes and summer classes in our Summer of 2015 and she is excited about joining the staff full-time for the 2015-2016 dance season.