Elise Melendez
Co-Founder & Executive Director, Motivated Movers
As the co-founder and executive director of Motivated Movers, Elise has spent the last 9 years building a community focused on guiding artists toward more confident relationships with movement while fostering a growth mindset in their dance training. She is the creator of our codified curriculum, guides the training and development of our entire team of teaching artists, and continues to work with aspiring artists to professionals. She has a strong commitment to empowering artists to harness movement as a path for authentic storytelling while building pedagogically sound and effective technique.
Elise was also the co-founder of Empowered Artist Collective, a community dedicated to empowering emerging artists in a supportive space to expand their life and business skills beyond the craft and create a sustainable career in the arts.
With a bachelor’s in American Dance Pedagogy from Oklahoma City University and a master’s in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago, Elise has over a decade of experience in arts education and management.
Off the dance floor, Elise continues her commitment to building community as director of professional communities for the American Marketing Association. She is also on the Scenemakers Board at Goodman Theatre and is the former managing director / current board member of Denman Theatre & Dance Co. Past focuses include casting director and assistant to the artistic director at Hangar Theatre, and guest teaching artist/choreographer for arts organizations and educational institutions such as Hangar Theatre, Palace Theatre New Hampshire, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Applause, St. Norbert College and Oklahoma City University.
