Mellissa is a native of Hartford, CT and holds a BS in biology from Trinity College. She is an accomplished dancer in Modern, African, and Caribbean folk forms, as well as a trained Stilt walker. Mellissa is currently employed by the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) as an Artist Instructor at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School. There, she teaches, dance, theater and stilt walking and coordinates performances and art-filled experiences for the entire school community. Mellissa is an ensemble member with the Justice Dance Performance Project (JDPP), performing in several major productions that call for social change and give voice, visibility and justice to the stories of the unheard. She is currently co-curating and performing in the virtual series, A Response and A Call. In this series she, along with other JDPP Artist of Color and guest artists, create and perform work that speak directly to issues of race and identity in America to create a dialogue with others and cultivate hope around solutions. Mellissa is also a current company member and teaching artist for some other amazing Hartford based groups. She dances with FriendZWorldMusic, performing a blend of traditional sights and sounds from the African Diaspora, and is also a founding member of Island Reflections Dance Theatre Company, specializing in instruction and performance of Caribbean Folk, African and Modern dance forms. Mellissa has had the pleasure of performing in Night Fall as a dancer, stilt walker, puppeteer, and choreographer for the last 12 years, and now sits on its Board of Directors as President. Mellissa has enjoyed a very fulfilling career so far and is leading a personal charge in building her legacy here in Hartford and beyond.