Melanie Richards

Melanie Richards is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and actress. She toured nationally with Margalit Dance Theater, Eyes Wide Open Dance Theater and Repertory West Dance Theater. She was featured as Betty Boop in Hollywood Showcases and at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. Additionally, she has performed in works by Doug Varone, Doug Nielsen, Liz Keen, Jack Cole and Donald McKayle. Her theater performances include Phyllis Gold in Twilight of the Golds (Theater Gym Production), Sister Felicity in Suddenly Last Summer (Richmond Triangle Players), and Violet Weston in August Osage County (Cadence Theater). She has been a guest artist/teacher at Scripps College, CSU Fresno, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Dartmouth College, Denison University, Sam Houston University, University of Richmond and University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Evening length productions created and choreographed by Melanie include Music Was His Mistress and Hard Sock Dance (both events performed with the VCU Jazz Orchestra); Picasso’s Women (Barksdale Theater); and Getting In/Getting Out, (Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland). In 2013 and 2015 she was selected to present work in the Biennial International Arts and Design Conference in Doha, Qatar, presenting work in both conferences.

Melanie recently celebrated her retirement from Virginia Commonwealth University, completing 35 years on the faculty in the Department of Dance and Choreography. She received 2 grants from the Center for Teaching Excellence, 4 grants from the Faculty-grant-in-Aid program, and a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. In 2013 and 2014 she developed and conducted a study abroad program in Sicily Italy, Cinema and Dance: Investigating Film and Gesture. She was the co-creator and director of PALLETTE in Motion (Promoting Art for Life Enrichment Through Transgenerational Engagement) a community engagement project that integrates students with senior participants exploring movement arts and the craft of choreography. This program was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Council for Community Engagement, the Office of the Provost VCU, and a grant from the Geriatric Training and Education Initiative of the Virginia General Assembly/Virginia Center on Aging.

She continues to teach at the Richmond Ballet and is currently working with the company trainees teaching jazz dance. She also remains an adjunct faculty member at VCU teaching rhythm tap technique and jazz dance technique to dance and theater majors. Her choreographic career includes more than 200 works in modern dance, classical jazz, rhythm tap, musical theater and theater/dance pieces. Melanie completed her BA and MA degrees in Dance at UCLA.