Tandem 2

As a Colorado native, Lauren’s dance experience started at age 4 at Colorado Dance Center where she explored ballet, jazz, and lyrical dance. In her teen years, her passion for ballet grew, and she began studying at the National Ballet Academy of Denver under Cornell Callender (English National Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet) and Andrei Vassiliev. Her first exposure to modern dance came in college at Elon University where she began as a dance major. During her time at Elon, her focus turned to science and she stepped away from her dance career.Since moving to Oregon in 2020, after about 10 years away from dance, Lauren reconnected to ballet through various studios throughout the Rogue Valley.  Taking classes at Tandem Dance renewed her passion for more free and creative expression than allowed in the constraints of classical ballet. She is thrilled to be performing again and honored to be dancing along side such talented artists at Tandem Dance.

Melissa grew up in a small town outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan where she began taking dance classes at the age of 10. In her teens her training became more intensive; dancing competitively with her school’s pom and dance team, as well as joining the competitive dance team at Glenn’s School of Dance in Howell, MI. She was also a member of her high school’s dance ensemble and performed with local theater groups. During these years she won several titles and awards in group and solo pieces.

After graduating high school, Melissa attended Eastern Michigan University where she earned a degree in nursing with a minor in dance and performing arts. She spent 2 seasons on the Eastern Michigan University Dance Team where she performed at school and sporting events as well as competed against other college teams. Throughout the years, she has taken classes and training intensives with professional dance companies including Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Eisenhower Dance, Gibney Dance, and held a summer internship with Brighton Dance Festival in Brighton, MI. She also spent several years teaching youth dance classes.

After graduating college in 2017, Melissa began dancing professionally with contemporary dance company Suttle Dance based in Detroit, Michigan; performing in multiple shows in the Detroit area. She stayed with this company until the end of 2019 when she began travel nursing and taking jobs across the country. Melissa took a 6 year hiatus from dance until she moved to Medford this summer and began dancing with Tandem. She is grateful and overjoyed to have found Tandem and given this opportunity to rekindle her love of dance.