Meet Michela Melone | Dancer & Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michela Melone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michela, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Everything I am doing right now is a direct result of taking risks. It was a combination of taking small and big risks. I think it’s important to understand that taking risks doesn’t guarantee success, but not taking any risks doesn’t allow growth nor new opportunities. I knew since I was 15 years old I wanted to be a professional dancer. I come from a city near Rome, Italy, and I knew that if I wanted to find the best opportunities for my career, sooner or later I had to take some big risks, such as moving to a bigger city without any assurance that I would achieve my goals and work as a professional dancer. Eventually, I took that big step and came to the U.S., initially to get my BA in dance, and then moved to LA to work as a dancer. Every small or big risk taken up to this point has been worth it. It didn’t always go as I planned, but I always learned and grew so much from those experiences.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe dance allows us to achieve a different level of understanding and depth. It gives us the tools to examine and know more about communication. My work is done by taking inspiration and questioning past knowledge at the same time. Analysis and exploration are essential in finding new possibilities and pathways. I like to experiment with different genres and styles. My aspiration as an artist is to discover and experiment with different mediums, finding new aesthetics to utilize.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA has so many great places to visit. I love to go to El Matador Beach. Urban Light on Wilshire Blvd is a very cool art piece to see. Runyon Canyon is a good hiking spot. I love to eat at random street taco stands all over LA, Little Tokyo has lots of good restaurants, Culver city has several Brazilian places to eat that I love. Finally, another one of my favorites is Natas Pastries in Sherman Oaks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A lot of people helped me in one way or another, without them I wouldn’t be here. My parents have always been supportive of my passion for dance, my husband has been with me through my entire journey and we always push each other to take risks and grow together. I appreciate the support from a lot of friends from all around the world. I want to thank my university professors for everything they taught me. A special thanks goes to Wil Flexx Fernandez, who helped me when I first moved to LA and answered so many of my questions.

Website: https://thedancerartist.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelamelone.dance/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michela-alessandra-melone/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelaMelone

Facebook: http://facebook.com/michelamelone.dance

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWbcTd_MAHiOS-obaMA6EqA

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelamelone.dance http://www.pinterest.com/michelamelonedance

Image Credits
Wil Flexx Fernandez Anders Dunker Amanda Conley