A native Oregonian, Melissa's love of dance became apparent in 1996 when she began studying ballroom, latin, and swing dancing.  For several years she was active in the Oregon Ballroom Dance Club and The Joint is Jumpin' Dance Studio.  Drawn to the art and history of belly dance, she began studying Egyptian dance with Astryd Farah deMichele in 2005.  Seeing Tribalation! perform awakened a spark of recognition in Melissa; she knew that she simply had to learn tribal belly dance, and so began taking classes with Sabine in 2006.  Melissa danced with Sabine's advanced student troupe Asafa before joining Tribalation! in December of 2008.  Melissa enjoys reading, gardening, cooking for friends and family, and attending arts events in the Eugene community.