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.