Melanie Person facts for kids
Melanie Person was born in 1965 in Jackson, Mississippi. She is an American dancer, a person who creates dances (a choreographer), and a teacher. She started her dance career very young, at just 14 years old, as a "baby ballerina" with the famous Dance Theatre of Harlem. Today, she is one of the main leaders (co-director) of The Ailey School, which is the official school of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She shares this role with Tracy Inman.
Early Life and Dance Training
Melanie Person, who is African American, began learning ballet when she was only six years old. She was born in Jackson, Mississippi, but continued her dance training in Columbia, South Carolina. There, she studied at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance with a teacher named Ann Brodie.
Melanie was a very talented child. She performed with the Columbia City Ballet. When she was 12, a children's magazine called Ebony Jr. (a special edition of Ebony magazine) wrote about her because of how dedicated she was to dance.
In 1976, she got a scholarship to attend a summer dance program with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. After the program, she was asked to join the company as an apprentice. This means she would train and work with the professional dancers. In 1979, she finished the Professional Children's School early. At just 14, she was promoted to the corps de ballet, which is the main group of dancers in a ballet company.
Her Amazing Dance Career
Melanie Person traveled all over the world with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She performed in many different ballets. These included dances created by famous choreographers like Arthur Mitchell, Agnes de Mille, George Balanchine, and many others. She also performed in classic ballets by Marius Petipa, which were restaged by Alexandra Danilova and Frederic Franklin.
In 1988, Melanie left the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She wanted to get her college degree in dance from Empire State College. While studying, she also worked with her former dance friends, Virginia Johnson and Judy Tyrus. They created new dances together for a project called "Developed Dancers Making Dances."
In 1999, Denise Jefferson, who was the director of The Ailey School, invited Melanie to join as a ballet teacher. The Ailey School is the official school for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Just one year later, Melanie became the head of the ballet department. She also became a co-director of the school's junior division, working 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 a co-director, Melanie Person has taken on many important roles. She works with Robert Battle, who is the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Together, they help find new dancers for his special choreographic lab, where new dances are created.
Melanie also helped lead the Ailey/Fordham BFA Benefit concert. She has served as a judge for many big dance competitions around the world. These include the Youth America Grand Prix, Japan Grand Prix, Seoul International Dance competition, and others. She was also on the board of directors for the National Association of Schools of Dance.
Melanie travels across the country with her co-director Tracy Inman and tour adjudicator Lakey Evans-Peña. They lead the national audition tour for the school's summer intensive program. They also audition students for the Ailey/Fordham University BFA Program, which is a special college degree program.
In celebration of the Dance Theatre of Harlem's 45th anniversary, Melanie Person and her former lead ballerina friends were honored. The company paid tribute to them in a special dance performance at New York City Center. Melanie also serves on the advisory board for Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet, working alongside other important figures like Joan Myers Brown and Donald Byrd.
