Artistic Director - Melania Ballish Regueiro
Melania Ballish Regueiro started her training at the age of five with Alice Arja in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She also trained with Eugenia Feodorova and Rosalia Verlangiere and won the Bronze Medal at the Brasilia International Dance Festival. Melania danced in Rio de Janeiro under Eric Valdo and Eliana Caminada’s direction and performed with Ballet da Cidade de Niteroi under Aurea Hammerli.
At the age of fourteen Melania left home after being invited to dance with the Youth Ballet of Cuba under Laura Alonso. She also performed with Cuban National Ballet under Alicia Alonso. In 1995 she joined the Volkstheater Rostock in Germany where she danced under Itchko Lazarov's direction. In Rostock she was eventually promoted to Prima Ballerina and was able to dance some of her favorite rolls: Giselle, Carmen and Juliet. In 1997 in addition to dancing, Melania assumed the role of Assistant Choreographer.
Melania retired from ballet in 2002 and has since taken up a roll as teacher, choreographer and adjudicator. In 2012 She was a primary judge at Entreatos International along with principals from ABT, Joffrey and Miami City Ballet.
In that same year, Franco De Vita (Artistic Director, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School) and Raymond Lukens (Director, ABT National Training Curriculum), co-authors of American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum, granted Melania a full tuition scholarship to the ABT teacher training program. Melania successfully completed the course in New York and became an ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum
From 2015 to 2017, invited by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, former President and Artistic Director of Charlotte Ballet, Melania directed rehearsals in Charleston for Charlotte Ballet’s Nutcracker, at the Gaillard Center.
In 2016, Melania successfully presented her first group of students to the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum Examinations and became an ABT Affiliate Teacher. Later that year she also received the title of ABT NTC Fellow member.
In 2017, Melania Joined the Summer Intensive faculty of the prestigious Chautauqua Institution in New York.
For the past three years, Melania has taken students to the Youth America Grand Prix. Her dancers have placed in the Top 12 and Top 24 and have also received several scholarships. In 2020, the trio “Playdate” (all 9 year old young dancers) placed 2nd in small ensemble and was invited to the YAGP Finals in New York.
