Melody Staples danced professionally with four ballet companies over her 16-year career, including Milwaukee Ballet and as a principal dancer with Charleston Ballet Theater.  She performed Carmen in Carmen, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Thumbelina in Thumbelina, Cinderella in Cinderella, Swanhilda in Coppelia and principal roles in George Balanchine’s Rubies, Who Cares? and Serenade and Twyla Tharp’s Baker’s Dozen.  Throughout her career, every choreographer hired to set a piece chose her to be in his or her piece.

Melody is a native of Asheville, North Carolina, and a distinguished graduate of the Virginia School of the Arts, where she attended on scholarship and was honored with the prestigious Van Lewis Award. Additionally, she trained at Burklyn Ballet Theater, Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet (now Philadelphia Ballet), Greenville Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet School (under a full scholarship).

Melody has been teaching ballet and pointe to dancers of all ages for over 25 years, including the past 15 years as a valued faculty member at NCDI. Her teaching experience also includes leading company class and instructing at the school of Charleston Ballet Theater. In addition, she has served as a guest teacher for Charleston Ballet Theater’s summer program, Asheville Performing Arts and Ballet 5:8.

She currently lives in Raleigh with her husband and three children.