OUR INSTRUCTORS

"In July, 2008, Melody and Melanie completed a tap residency and peformance at the New York City Tap Festival where they studied under famous tap dancer and choreographer Billie Mahoney."

Tap-N-Burn welcomes TARA BOLTON to our team of licensed Tap-N-Burn instructors!

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 showchoirs.  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 ony with her mother Carolyn, but with her husband Bryan and their four children.

Tap-N-Burn welcomes TARA BOLTON to our team of licensed Tap-N-Burn instructors!

Tara began dancing under Joyce Daniels of "Joyce Daniels School of Dance" in Afton, Tennessee at 3 years old, taking tap, ballet and acrobatics. She continued to dance for Joyce Daniels (member of Dance Masters of America) until 1994. Tara then studied with Jamie Winter of "Winter & Company Dance Studio" (also of Dance Masters of America), where Tara also became an instructor, teaching all ages, all experience levels and all curriculums of dance. Tara also taught for Alison Tarleton of "Alison's Dance Connection" and has since returned to "Winter & Company" where she still teaches today. Both Joyce Daniels and Jamie Winter were heavily affiliated with Dance Master of America, and at age 11, Tara began attending classes and taking workshops and master classes with world-renowed dancers and choreographers within the organization. Tara also competed with Dance Masters, winning many Silver and Plantinum awards in several catagories. Tara has completed extensive training for Tap-N-Burn and is now licensed to hold classes for both levels of Tap-N-Burn, beginner to intermediate. Her classes will be held at Trinity Performing Arts Center in Jefferson City. Tara and her husband Ben live in Jefferson City and they have three children.