BIO
Melissa Adao (MEL) represents 20+ years of dance education, community building, and self-empowerment. She’s a Professor at Grossmont and Mesa College. MEL performs and creates work all over Southern California ranging from award-winning repertoire to corporate flash mob entertainment. At 41 years young, MEL is currently training towards her dream of earning a qualifier spot in any international breaking competition, most notably the Paris 2024 Olympics, Freestyle Session, Red Bull BCOne, or Outbreak. As an educator and community member, MEL uses her gifts and talents to mentor individuals to help them get jobs in their desired field, graduate community college, and develop life skills to be professionals and positive contributors in their communities.
MEL began training in choreography at the age of 17 and since then, has soared into an amazing journey of hip hop, jazz and modern dance experiences. Her dance community background includes local companies like Unity Dance Ensemble, Urban FX, EKetc, and Super Galactic Beat Manipulators. Representation through Bloc Dance and Choreography has opened opportunities for her to work with artists like Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Andy Dick, Athena Cage, No Doubt, and Nickelodeon’s "Taina".
She earned her B.A. in Dance from San Diego State University and her M.A. from California State University, Long Beach. In addition to Grossmont and Mesa College, she has also taught at California State University, San Marcos, Chapman University, and MiraCosta College.
MEL’s work has been showcased at various venues such as Diversionary Theater, White Box Theater, The Neurosciences Institute, RAW Space Off Broadway, David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theater, and more. Her work “In The Wild” received Runner-Up at Young Choreographers Showcase and Prize. Her full-length production “HIP HOP cabHOORAY” received Outstanding Production at the San Diego International Fringe Festival in 2015 and Outstanding Dance Production in 2017.
Aside from teaching and choreographing, MEL is a choreographer, dancer and host at the World Famous San Diego Zoo. For the last 4 years, MEL has been training and repping as a 40 and Over Bgirl by entering local and international breaking competitions, organizing, and hosting hip hop events. She aims to empower individuals of different ages, backgrounds and experiences to pursue education, community building, and personal enrichment with a global message that “you are never too old, and it is never too late” to pursue your dreams.