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Melissa Dobbs, Founder & Director
Melissa, originally from the Washington, DC area, is a highly sought after movement professional who has spent the last 20 years innovating, creating and cultivating a leading performing arts school in Alexandria, VA. During her time as Founder and Executive Director of Metropolitan School of the Arts, she had the opportunity to train thousands of young dancers who have gone on to perform and study in some of the most prestigious and acclaimed venues and schools in the world.
As a dancer and performer, Melissa has had the honor of taking the stage in numerous national events including Walt Disney World, multiple Presidential Inaugural Balls, national galas and industrial events, ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade and most recently as a tap dancer in the annual gala: A Salute to the 1940’s Broadway Musical, with the National Symphony Orchestra, hosted by Julie Andrews on the Kennedy Center stage.
Melissa is a certified teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (London) and a Stott Pilates instructor. She is nearing completion of her Masters of Arts in Psychology at Harvard Extension School and is currently relentlessly dedicated to building a new FUTURE OF DANCE for children.
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Melissa is an advocate for wellness and health and has a passion for quantum physics and natural healing. Most importantly, Melissa is the proud mother to her three children who are the center of her universe and teach her more and more each day about the important things in life.
Brooke Thornton, Educator
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Brooke Thornton started her dance journey at a very young age, learning from our very own Melissa Dobbs. She graduated from the Academy at Metropolitan School of the Arts in 2017, receiving her high school diploma, and continued her artistic studies at Hussian College in Los Angeles in the following years. Currently, she is taking a break from LA to focus back on teaching before she travels to London to receive her Masters in Classical Acting. Brooke could not be more excited to get back in the studio, especially with so many young dancers to inspire.
Tracey Tucci, Dance Educator
Originally from Clarendon Hills, IL, Tracey Tucci began her training with the Salt Creek Ballet under the direction of Patricia Sigurdson. She furthered her training at many prestigious summer ballet programs including Boston Ballet, School of American Ballet, San Fransisco Ballet, and American Ballet Theater. Tracey attended Butler University and graduated with a professional career with the Louisville Ballet in 2002. In 2004, she accepted a position with the Sarasota Ballet as w a member of the Corps de Ballet. She was promoted to Coryphee in 2008 and Soloist in 2009. Tracey's repertoire with the company included featured roles in ballets by esteemed choreographers such as Sir Fredrick Ashton, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Matthew Bourne and Sir David Bintley.. She has also performed in various full length productions such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia and La Sylphide, amongst others. Tracey also appeared in Susan Stroman's Contact in 2009 in conjunction with the Asolo Reparatory Theater. Retiring from the stage in 2010, Tracey has been raising her three beautiful children, who along with her husband Michael, are her joy and purpose in life. Together she and her husband own and operate Urban Air Adventure Parks in New Tampa and Brandon, FL. She is thrilled to return to the studio to share her passion for ballet and the power that dance and movement has on the wellbeing of all children.
