Writer
In constant search of clarity, Melanie draws connections for audiences and readers that prompt new ways of thinking about dance.
Melanie has consistently written about dance for over 25 years. Her extensive career in dance pedagogy, research, and academia have furthered and deepened her writing practice. She is an aggregator of information and translator of ideas, particularly known for interpreting and articulating key patterns and concepts that were previously unseen.
Melanie is a contributing author to multiple books, podcasts, films, scholarly and short-form articles. She has has written for the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Jacob’s Pillow, as well as composed more than sixty talks and associated program notes during her tenure at Lumberyard. Melanie crafts presentations as an individual speaker and scholar, as well as facilitating dialogues that further understanding of a text.
Selected Work Samples
Jacob’s Pillow — Essay: “Uncovering Jazz Elements in the Works of Contemporary Choreographers” — May 2020
Jacob’s Pillow — PillowNotes on Urban Bush Women - August 2019
Baryshnikov Arts Center — “BAC Story: David Neumann” - June 2018
Stephen Petronio Company — Bloodlines Program Notes - March 2017
Podcasts
Melanie wrote and recorded two podcasts for Jacob’s Pillow about the history of jazz dance.
Books
Melanie has contributed scholarship on dance to the following books:
Coming out in Fall 2021! — “An Overview of Jazz Dance in the Twenty-First Century” and “Considering Jazz Choreography.” Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in the Twenty-First Century. Edited by Lindsay Guarino, Carlos R.A. Jones, and Wendy Oliver. University Press of Florida, 2021.
"Jazz Dance, Pop Culture, and the Music Video Era.” Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches. Edited by Lindsay Guarino and Wendy Oliver. University Press of Florida, 2014.
"Imbed/In Bed: Two Perspectives on Dance and Collaboration." The Collaborative Turn: Working Together in Qualitative Research. Co-authored with Joan Meggitt. Edited by Walter Gershon. Sense Publishers, 2009. Reviewed in the International Journal of Education & the Arts.