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OUR INSTRUCTORS
"In July,
2008, Melody and Melanie completed a tap residency and performance at
the New York City Tap Festival where they studied under famous tap
dancer and choreographer Billie Mahoney."
MELANIE
BAKER NIBLICK
Melanie is the Owner & National
Program Director of Tap-N-Burn and the Owner/Creative Director of
KidMoves Dance Company, both based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Melanie
has 25 years of experience in all areas of dance, with jazz,
lyrical, tap, and creative movement as her areas of expertise. She
is originally from Oak Ridge, Tennessee where she trained and
performed with an award-winning ensemble for 12 years. Melanie
continues her education every year with Dance Makers International,
a worldwide leader in classroom curriculum and choreography and
affiliated with Broadway Dance Center in New York.
In 2005, Melanie attended classes at Manhattan Motion Studios in New
York with Gabrielle Taylor (jazz) and 'Silk Smoove' (dancer and
choreographer who has worked with Beyonce, Ashanti and Tyra Banks).
She has also had professional dance training from world-renowned
performers Savion Glover and Dianne Walker (tap), Frank Hatchett and
Steven Boyd (jazz and lyrical), Joan Lather (specialist in
children’s curriculum) and Tommy Alexander (tap, jazz and lyrical).
Additionally, Melanie danced in the United Methodist Liturgical
Dance Conference in North Carolina. Having taught in 10 area public
and private preschools, Melanie has been instructing preschool
children for 9 years, school age children for 7 and has taught over
1,400 students overall. She has also lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota
and Raleigh, North Carolina where she successfully ran similar
dance-based businesses.
Melanie is also the director of the Pointe of Praise Dance ministry
at Middlebrook Pike United Methodist Church in Knoxville. She is
married to Jay and they have three children.
The
Tap-N-Burn, a program has been featured in Shape Magazine, ABC’s
“The View”, Dr. Phil and Fox News stations in larger national
markets.
MELODY
GLARDON PELFREY
Although she was
probably dancing before her mother ever gave birth, Melody
officially began at the age of three - and hasn't taken her dance
shoes off since! She has studied under some of the world's top
choreographers of music, video, Broadway and TV.
Melody's dance education includes classes with Barry
Youngblood (who also taught Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and
Justin Timberlake). Melody also had summer study with Thommie
Walsh, in addition to courses with Dance Caravan and Dance Olympus.
Melody has choreographed local high school musicals and show choirs.
Melody loves teaching the younger dancers tap and ballet and teaches
the "In Motion With Melody" dance program at First United Methodist
Church in Maryville with her mother, Carolyn (also of KidMoves Dance
Company).
We
are very pleased to announce that Melody joined our team in
December, 2006 and is now a licensed tap instructor for Tap~N~Burn
of Knoxville. Melody shares her love of dance not only with her
mother Carolyn, but with her husband Bryan and their four children.

COURTNEY PITNER
At the age of three, Courtney's
mom enrolled her in dance classes to channel some of her boundless
energy. She instantly caught the dancing bug and trained in ballet,
tap, and jazz under Lisa Wildman for the next 11 years. As a child,
it was Courtney's dream to become a dance instructor.
Throughout her high
school and college years, Courtney was involved in various dance and
performance ensembles, but also felt she was being led to pursue a
career in health care. In 2009, she obtained her doctorate degree in
Audiology from the University of Tennessee. While preparing to enter
the "real world," Courtney enrolled in Melanie's Tap-N-Burn class
and fell in love with dance all over again. After two years as a TNB
student and many hours of intensive instructor training, she is now
able to fulfill her childhood dream to be a dance instructor through
teaching the Tap-N-Burn class at Broadway Academy of Performing
Arts!
Courtney also enjoys
performing with the Non-Stop Hip Hop performance team and being
involved in her community group at Fellowship Church.

MAGGIE GARVIN
Maggie began dancing at age 3 and
hasn't stopped since. Although she grew up in Franklin, Tennessee,
she has studied dance all over the country at places like Broadway
Dance Center in New York, Edge Performing Arts Center in Los
Angeles, The Fort Wayne Ballet in Indiana, The Robert Ivey Ballet in
Charleston, SC, and the Orlando Ballet in Florida. Maggie has also
been teaching dance in various forms since she was in high school.
She recently moved back to Franklin from Orlando where she spent the
last five years studying dance and working at Walt Disney World.
Maggie is happy to be
involved in the Middle Tennessee dance scene again where she teaches
ballet and pointe classes at All That Dance in Spring Hill, TN and
recreational ballroom and social dance classes in Columbia, TN. She
can't wait to bring Tap-N-Burn to the Franklin/Spring Hill/Columbia
area!
SUZANNE
COOK
Suzanne Cook discovered the joy of dance at the young age of seven
and pursued private tap lessons into young adulthood, winning local
dance contests with her style and enthusiasm. Marriage and the birth
of her two sons distracted her from the active participation in
dance lessons and contests and instead led her to a college degree
in telecommunications and eventually into a career in project
management. But, her love of dance never waned and the soft sound of
taps could be heard from under the table in many a business meeting.
An
adult tap class at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts center 3 years ago
set her feet to tapping in public again. Recently discovering the
Tap-N-Burn program allowed her to combine her rigorous physical
training regimen with the music and steps of classic tap and bring
it back to those who may have tapped as a young person and introduce
it to those who’ve never had any formal dance training.
A fun
dance workout in the style of those great tappers of the past and a
full body “burn” with a joyful and enthusiastic trainer are
guaranteed those who join her.
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