The Ailey School

Melina Bezanis was raised in Houston, TX where she attended the Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts, where she had the opportunity to perform works by Sarah Stanley, Ben Delony, and Susan Shields. To further her training, she attended summer intensives at Hubbard Street Chicago, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and David Dorfman Dance. Melina also trained at the Houston MET as a youth company member where she worked with Marlana Doyle, Maddison Hicks, and Sean Aaron Carmen. Melina went on to attend Fordham University in New York where she pursued a BA in Political Science and a BFA in Dance in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, class of 2023. As a BFA student, she performed works by Janice Rosario, Sonia Dawkins, and Mark Caserta. As a choreographer, Melina won the KHSPVA senior choreography award and has featured her piece, New York or Nowhere, in the Chicago Grant Park Music Festival. Melina was also a Staff Writer for the Fordham Political Review where she covered international human rights law, economics, and civil rights.