Melanie Verna began dancing in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, where she toured with the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble. She has been a recipient of the Coca-Cola scholarship with American Ballet Theatre’s summer program and was awarded the Ailey Fellowship through Fordham University. Melanie is a graduate of the School of Minnesota Dance Theatre where she was a member of the Repertory Ensemble. She was an apprentice with Minnesota Dance Theatre for two years before joining the company. Melanie has performed repertory by Ashton, Barbuto, Balanchine, Fricke, Hart, Janczewski, Loyce and Lise Houlton, Maginnis, Petipa, Rhoden and Rink. Melanie has been a Minnesota Dance Theatre company member since 2005. We are happy to have her on our Northland staff.