Melissa has performed as a solo dancer and troupe member in both amateur and professional settings including but not limited to the Anchorage Concert Association's Opening Night Gala for Cirque Dreams, UAA's Dance Together Alaska Festival, Anchorage Downtown Partnership's Saturday Concert and Cultural Performance Series, Anchorage Downtown Partnership's Fire and Ice Celebration, Alaska's 50th Anniversary Gala, Children's Dance Theatre's Nutcracker Sweets, The American Red Cross Mardi Gras Celebration 2009 & 2010, ConocoPhillips Family Picnic, Anchorage Opera Opening Night Gala for Italian Girl from Algiers, The Alaska Support Industry Alliance's "Meet Alaska" Conference, Alaska Design Forum and the International Gallery for Contemporary Art AND the Anchorage Museum's "Changing North" FREEZE Project artist, UAA TFYP's production of "Ashlad and the Good Helpers", The Sustainable Living Festival, Sheila Wyne's Annual Arts Fundraiser in Spenard, Aksana Danilava's "Earthquakes and Hips Shakes" show, Danielle Lawler's "Carpe Nocturne" show, Carrie Moore's "Secret's of the Oasis" show, the Seward Arts and Music Festival, First Friday performances at the Indigo, Ship Creek Center, MTS Gallery, Woolies and Laughing Lotus Yoga Studio, the Solace International fundraiser (to help build schools for girls in Afghanistan), the Anchorage Folk Festival, VivaVoom Burlesque shows, The Municipality of Anchorage's Haunted Trail and Vernal Eternal, the Queen of Raks Sharqi competition in Dallas, the Three Barons Renaissance Faire, Alaska Meets the Nile, Where the Middle East meets the Frozen North, the Alaska State Fair, Summer Solstice Festival, the D Street Festival, Saturday Market, the Girdwood Forest Fair and many others.
She was a movement coach for the Anchorage Opera Ensemble's 2010 production of "Kismet", choreographer or co-choregrapher for Barefoot Muse, Nomadia, Wild Sweet Orange Dance Theatre, Shakti Dances and Ciccia Bella, a guest choreographer for the 2006 West High Holiday Showcase and a featured dancer at Istanbul Café. Other restaurant work includes Aladdin's and Little Italy as a special guest performer. She has also appeared as a fortune teller and dancer in several Art Services North productions.
***Photo credit Robert Kasuboski, a friend, Keith Darkchilde, and (above) Deb Owens.
