L.A. Dance Staff- Melissa O'Leary

L.A. Dance Staff
Melissa O'Leary
Ballet

Melissa started dancing at the age of 5 at a local studio in Glendale. In high school she was a member of the dance and cheer teams where she received awards for Outstanding Dance Achievement. While performing with local companies throughout the valley, she
attended ASU on a presidential scholarship
where she pursued studies in child psychology and dance performance. In 2006, Melissa and her husband moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Oral Roberts University with a BA in Dance Performance and a minor in Business Administration. She has completed classes in Pedagogy, Child Development, Improvisation, Choreography, Dance History, and Counseling, in addition to technique classes and company performances. Melissa’s performances include the premiere production of ORU’s dance company, “An Evening of Dance,” the opera performance “Amahl," and various other company productions of the ORU dance department. She received awards for Excellence in Choreography and her works have been presented in ORU’s Studio Series: Convergence, Renewal, and Continuum, in addition to a collection of independent works presents at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in Oklahoma. She has been privileged to work under artists such as Amy Roark-McIntosh, M.F.A. founding director of Dance at ORU and Artistic Director of Living Water Dance Company, Heather Fick, former company director of Tulsa Ballet, Rachel Johnson, artistic director of Bell House Arts, and the renowned Ballet Master, Roman Jasinski (American Ballet Theatre). Melissa was the founding director of the youth dance program at New Joy Ministries and has been teaching her passion for six years.