Melissa Bjork

Melissa Bjork began her formal dance training under Tiffanee Arnold as a member of the Collin County Dance Repertory at Collin College and went on to receive her B.F.A. in Dance from The Ohio State University and M.F.A. in Dance from Texas Woman's University. She has worked with a variety of dance artists and companies including Joe Alter, Michael Kelly Bruce, DanceWorks, Mark Dendy, Bebe Miller, John Giffin, Susan Hadley, Shawn Hove, Heather Mims, Muscle Memory Dance Theatre, Lily Sloan, Victoria Uris, among others, as well performed reconstructed works of Doris Humphrey and Norman Walker. From 2006-2017 she was a performer and choreographer with Elledanceworks Dance Company. She has taught at Collin College, The Atlantic Coast Opera Festival, Texas Christian University, Texas Woman's University, and Super Yoga Palace, in addition to master classes at Chamberlain Performing Arts and the American College Dance Association South-Central Region Conference (ACDA). Her choreography has been presented in several academic and professional venues and festivals throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, and Pennsylvania including Allen High School, ACDA, Atlantic Coast Opera Festival, Bath House Cultural Center, Collin College, DUMBO Dance Festival, Latino Cultural Center, PILOT: Choreographers Take Flight, The Ohio State University, Teatro LATEA, Texas Woman’s University, and others. Melissa lives in Lucas with her husband and five children.

“To continue the dance journey I began with Tiffanee almost 20 years ago feels like I have received a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do what few will ever do: arrive at a time and place where I can acknowledge the journey, appreciate the change, and anticipate the possibilities as a dancer who is stronger, wiser, and much less afraid.” - Melissa