Introducing Featured Guest Melody Staples Hammell

We are thrilled to welcome former principal dancer with Charleston Ballet Theater Melody Staples Hammell as a Featured Guest with the School of Ballet 5:8! She will be sharing some exciting pro tips every Monday over the coming weeks that you won't want to miss.

Melody Staples Hammell is originally from Asheville, NC. She attended high school on scholarship at the Virginia School of the Arts graduating as the recipient of the Van Lewis Award for Outstanding Senior.

During her sixteen-year career as a professional dancer, Melody performed with four ballet companies including the Milwaukee Ballet and as a principal dancer with the Charleston Ballet Theater. Her performance highlights include Cinderella in Cinderella, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Thumbelina in Thumbelina, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Swanhilda in Coppelia, and Odette in Swan Lake.

Throughout her performing career Melody was also consistently cast by guest choreographers and repetiteurs setting works. She performed in Baker’s Dozen by Twyla Tharpe, Gala Performance by Anthony Tudor, as a principal dancer in George Balanchine’s Who Care’s,and as the Waltz Girl in his Serenade.

Ms. Hammell currently lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband and their three children. She has been teaching ballet and pointe while sharing the joy of good ballet technique with children and adults for over 20 years…including a young Amy Kozol Sanderson, co-founder of Ballet 5:8!