Melanie Barreto -Dancin’ Tots

Melanie is a member of the Canadian Dance Teachers’ Association and has been a BDC faculty member for over twenty years. As a Company dancer, she enjoyed many competitive and performance experiences and has toured the USA as a Dance Olympus VIP. She continues to explore the world of dance and when she has time enjoys adding ballroom and swing dance styles to her repertoire. Melanie has also completed her NCCP Gymnastics Foundations course.

Melanie currently teaches grade two/three French Immersion at John William Boich P.S. She graduated with a Masters of Education degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). This experience allowed her the opportunity to combine her love of arts, language and education in new ways. She has also been nominated for a Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence. As an advocate for arts education, Melanie has presented dance and movement workshops at various conferences including the Council of Drama and Dance Educators (CODE) and Charles Sturt University (Burlington campus). She is an active participant in Halton District School Board’a drama/dance festival “Creating a Scene” and is part of the founding committee for Halton’s International Dance Day celebrations.

Melanie also works as one of the choreographers for the Student Theatre, Performing Arts camp. Her choreography credentials include such musicals as: “Pirates of Penzance”,” High School Musical”, “Footloose”, and “Les Misérables”. Last summer she also started her own French Drama camp entitled ‘Découvertes Dramatiques’ for students eager to explore the arts in their second language. She is excited about the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead and wishes everyone “une année fantastique at BDC”.