Biography

Melanie Rodrigues was born and raised in Dayton, OH, and began her dance training at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios under the direction of Barbara Pontecorvo. She later joined their resident pre-professional ballet company, Gem City Ballet, where she performed many new works and classical repertoire, as well as Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Serenade, and Raymonda Variations. Over the years at PBS and GCB she performed soloist and principal roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Giselle, Coppélia, La Bayadère, and PBS’s The Nutcracker. She also trained at many summer intensives including Ballet West, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theater’s Collegiate Program. In 2017, Rodrigues joined Ballet 5:8’s Trainee Program, performing company repertoire, including Julianna Rubio Slager’s Compass Program, The Space In Between, and Four Seasons of the Soul. With the Trainee Program, she attended Regional Dance America, winning a cash scholarship. Rodrigues joined Ballet 5:8 as a Company Apprentice in 2019 and was promoted to Senior Apprentice in 2020 and Company Artist in 2021. She has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary works with the company, including Slager’s Of Splendors & Horrors, Dry Bones, Golden Sessions, Reckless, Butterfly, and 4501.