Melissa Burns has been a long-time, motivated member of the dance industry. Growing up dancing, at an early age, Melissa had the opportunity to dance on board the Norwegian Majesty Cruise Ship, at the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany as well as many other cities and countries all over the world.

She then went on to receive a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Fine Arts from Stonehill College located in Easton Massachusetts. At Stonehill College, Melissa studied with such dance professionals as Valerie Robertson and Adriene Hawkins among others. While attending Stonehill College, Melissa founded and directed the Stonehill College Dance Team, which she brought to national recognition in Daytona Beach, Florida. There, her team was featured on CBS Television and received high accolades.

After graduating, Melissa taught Vagonava ballet as well as jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical and contemporary throughout the New England area. Melissa was also featured at the Fox Theater of Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Connecticut and at the Avalon in Boston, Massachusetts where she was a finalist with the World-Champion Celtics Dance Team.

Melissa has been highly involved in competitive and non-competitive dance her entire life. During these times she had both positive and negative experiences in the competition industry. With her passion for dance, she saw the need for a professional, yet friendly and accommodating venue for dancers to be able to compete.

Six years ago she began a journey to fulfill this need through founding the company Turn It Up Dance Challenge, Inc. Understanding what teachers, choreographers, and students endure during practice, performance, and competition, Melissa continues, through Turn It Up Dance Challenge, to give them a competition experience they deserve.

For more information about Melissa Burns and Turn It Up Dance Challenge visit their website at: http://turnitupdance.com/index.html