Tonight I had the special privilege to take a jazz master class by a crazy awesome young lady by the name of Melissa Emrico. Don’t know the name? Do a Google search and she’ll pop up as a dancer for Lady Gaga. She’s been featured in a few videos and is very much a professional dancer making a living off of her incredible talent. Check her out in the music video for “Marry the Night.” She’s the one dancing in ballet tights.
Melissa is that rare breed of dancer that was going to have to make it big some way or another. She’s just built for dance. Flexibility, artistry, and anatomy are all on her side. She’s technically trained for long sustained movement but has either developed or always had fast twitch muscles that make her ideal for hip hop and Hollywood styles of dance. Her story brings her from humble beginnings as well which also makes her a nice human being. It was great to be able to work with her in person.
The master class was a 2 hour awesome-fest featuring an original work of choreography that Melissa had been working on. She spared no one on the technicality and sheer speed of the routine. The dance was ferocious and fun, but more than that, there were wise words from Melissa on performance and artistry. While we, the students, were the ones taking the class, we were also able to witness a professional dancer dance. She became a living benchmark for those looking to achieve the next level.