Mission Statement:

At Spotlight Dance Academy it is our mission to instill in our students a love of dance while providing a strong technical base with a well-rounded understanding of the art of dance and performance; to teach the life lessons of being disciplined, dedicated and self-confident, all in a supportive family environment.

Meet the Director

Mallory Melvin

Mallory Melvin is originally from Iola, KS where she began her dance training. Her experience includes dancing and teaching in such styles as ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip hop, and musical theatre. Mallory has also studied under recognized choreographers such as Dee Caspary, Nick Lazzarini, Napoleon Dumo, Travis Wall, and Mandy Moore from the famous So You Think You Can Dance as well as Mark Goodman, Director of one of LA's Best Tap Companies. Mallory has won numerous awards for her dance and choreography such as Best Choreography at Masquerade Dance Competition, and was a Top Five Soloist at West Coast Dance Explosion in Los Angeles, CA. She was chosen to be in the performance troupe The Lasers who performed at the Miss Kansas Pageant. Mallory has both choreographed and has had starring roles in such musicals as Grease, Bye Bye Birdie, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Peter Pan, and The Pajama Game.

Mallory is also vocally trained. Besides having recorded and toured, she has opened for such bands as Ricochet and Streetside. Mallory was also selected to perform at the American Royal and was a Top Finalist for Ed McMahon's Star Search-Next Big Star.

Local performances include being featured in World's of Fun's Moulin Rouge Theatre where Mallory performed in I Love Rock and Roll and Cleaver High Homecoming.

Mallory was co-captain and was choreographer for her high school cheer squad and received the elite award of All-American Cheerleader. Mallory furthered her dance education in college and choreographed for the college dance team.

For the last six years, Mallory has been an instructor at Diamond Academy in Overland Park, where she taught children ages two to eighteen in Recreational dance and Beginning to Advanced gymnastics. She also taught and choreographed for the award winning Diamond Dancers. Over the last six years at Diamond, on average, four out of five of Mallory's graduating seniors who have gone on to college to major or minor in dance, have received dance scholarships, or are members of their college dance teams. Mallory is excited to join the dance family of Ottawa, KS where she can share her love of the arts with your children and her own daughter Klaira Gayle!