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The BallerinatistAuthor: The Ballerinatist
Sharing stories of dancers, dance educators, and movement practitioners to inspire, educate, and transform how we see, experience, and interpret dance. Hosted by Melissa Croushorn. A former high performance athlete and dancer, she is a writer, movement educator, and dance education consultant. She specializes in pre-professional dancer training and development. Learn more about dance education, careers in dance, and get your Dancer Career Planner: https://www.theballerinatist.com/. Language: en Genres: Arts, Performing Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Big Feelings with Melody Mendoza
Episode 7
Wednesday, 10 September, 2025
Melody Mendoza, Founder and Artistic Director of Glorify Performing Arts in West Chester, PA, shares about the vision for the company which launched in 2018, what it took to get started, and how they’re building the foundation for growth. Bio:She studied ballet under Edmund & Irene Novak, later adding jazz and modern, at studios including The Rock School West, The Dance Center, and Koresh School of Dance. Beginning liturgical dance at age 9, she also participated in The Good Samaritan Dance Ministry under Valerie Henry and Gwen Prestwood.After she completed undergraduate dance studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2012, Melody formed a small dance company with Donna FitzPatrick where they choreographed two contemporary, faith based, ballets utilizing ballet, tap and jazz to share stories of Christ’s grace and truth. She received her Pre-Primary – Level 5 certification of American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum.Melody has worked locally as a musical theatre dance teacher and choreographer at SALT Performing Arts, West Chester Studios for the Performing Arts, and Delaware County Christian School.Melody shares about cultivating a unified company from a diverse pool of artists; establishing a safe, healthy culture through core values - not just feelings; and, intentionally building a strong foundation for company growth.She mentioned the book Art & Faith: A Theology of Making: https://a.co/d/0oPzUYJLearn more about Melody and Glorify Performing Arts: https://glorifyperformingarts.org/ You can learn more about dance education and career planning for dancers at theballerinatist.com
