Melanie Person facts for kids

Melanie Person was born in 1965 in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a famous American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She started dancing professionally at age 14 as a "baby ballerina" with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Today, she helps lead The Ailey School, which is part of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She shares this role with Tracy Inman.

Early Life and Dance Training

Melanie Person began learning ballet when she was just six years old. She was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Later, she continued her dance training in Columbia, South Carolina. She studied at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance with a teacher named Ann Brodie.

A Young Dance Star

Melanie was a very talented dancer from a young age. She performed with the Columbia City Ballet. When she was 12, a magazine called Ebony Jr. wrote about her. This magazine was for children and was part of the famous Ebony magazine. They wrote about how dedicated she was to dance.

In 1976, Melanie received a scholarship to attend a summer dance course. This course was at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. After the program, she was asked to join the company as an apprentice. An apprentice is like a trainee. In 1979, she graduated early from the Professional Children's School. At just 14 years old, she became a full member of the company's corps de ballet. This means she danced in the main group of dancers.

Melanie Person's Dance Career

Melanie Person traveled all over the world with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She performed in many different ballets. These included works by famous choreographers like Arthur Mitchell, Agnes de Mille, and George Balanchine. She also performed in classic ballets by Marius Petipa.

In 1988, Melanie left the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She wanted to earn her degree in dance from Empire State College. Even while studying, she continued to dance. She worked with her former ballet friends, Virginia Johnson and Judy Tyrus. They created new dances for a project called "Developed Dancers Making Dances."

Becoming a Dance Educator

In 1999, Denise Jefferson invited Melanie Person to join The Ailey School. This school is the official school of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Melanie joined as a ballet instructor. Just one year later, she became the chairperson of the ballet department. She also became a co-director of the school's junior division with Tracy Inman.

In 2009, she was named an associate director. After Denise Jefferson passed away in 2010, Melanie Person and Tracy Inman were chosen to be the co-directors of The Ailey School.

Leading The Ailey School

Since becoming co-director, Melanie Person has done many important things. She works with Robert Battle, who is the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. They work together to find new dancers for his choreographic lab. This lab helps new choreographers create dances.

Melanie also helps organize special concerts, like the Ailey/Fordham BFA Benefit concert. She has been a judge for many big dance competitions around the world. These include the Youth America Grand Prix, Japan Grand Prix, and Seoul International Dance competition. She also serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Schools of Dance.

Melanie Person also helps lead the national audition tour for the school's summer program. She also helps with the Ailey/Fordham University BFA Program. She does this with her co-director Tracy Inman and tour judge Lakey Evans-Peña.

Honored for Her Contributions

In 2014, the Dance Theatre of Harlem celebrated its 45th anniversary. Melanie Person and her former leading ballerina friends were honored by the company. They received a special dance tribute at New York City Center.

Melanie also serves on the advisory board of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet. She works with other important people like Joan Myers Brown and Donald Byrd. This group helps to preserve the history of Black dancers in ballet.