Melanie Benson - Owner/Artistic Director
Melanie is thrilled to share her lifelong passion for dance and the arts with every student at Artistic Edge Dance Center. Her career began in New York City, where she spent over a decade as a professional dancer, actor, singer, teacher, and choreographer. She trained at two of the city’s most prestigious schools — the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Broadway Dance Center (BDC) — later joining the BDC faculty to teach both professional dancers and children in the Children’s Program. Many of her award-winning students have gone on to perform on Broadway and as Radio City Rockettes.
After relocating to Greenville in 2004, Melanie taught at several local studios, where her students consistently won top prizes at regional and national competitions. She also earned recognition as a choreographer, creating critically acclaimed works for the Greenville Symphony and International Ballet Academy (IBA), including A Soldier’s Tale, Holiday at Peace, and Bump in the Night. Her choreography for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was restaged by IBA in 2013. In addition to teaching and directing AEDC, Melanie enjoys traveling as a judge for national dance competitions.
Melanie’s professional stage credits are extensive and diverse. She has performed in productions such as Guys and Dolls, Pippin, Anything Goes, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Brigadoon, and The King and I. Career highlights include A Salute to Hollywood at Lincoln Center, The Cotton Club Review in Japan, and performing as a “Bond Girl” in The Magic of Allen Valentine in Atlantic City. She also danced with Cunard Cruise Lines and appeared with several New York-based companies, including The Reach Dance Project, Linda Diamond & Co., and 8 Count Dance Company.
Her television and film credits are equally impressive. She appeared as both dancer/actor and assistant choreographer on the WB sitcom NIKKI starring Nikki Cox, and performed in episodes of Law and Order: SVU and Sex and the City. Her film credits include Catch Me If You Can, Taxi, Two Weeks Notice, 25th Hour, School of Rock, Anything Else, Far From Heaven, Angels in America, and The Stand In.
Today, as Artistic Director of AEDC, Melanie combines her professional expertise, choreographic vision, and dedication to her students to create an inspiring environment where dancers of all levels can thrive.