Biography

Melynda Phillips

Richards

English 1301

October 31, 2014

Biography

     Hi, My name is Melynda.  I am a seventeen-year old home-schooler enrolled in dual credit courses at NCTC. I decided to take dual credit courses because I completed almost all of my required high school classes by the end of my sophomore year.  Dual credit gives me the opportunity to start earning college credits early.  I also work part-time, three days each week, as a mother’s helper for the sweetest little baby, James.  I love my time visiting and playing with James.  His smiles always make me happy.  

     In my free time I like to quilt, knit and play with my cat, Kitri, and with my ferrets, Odette and Odile.  My real passion is dance, especially ballet.  When I was 5-years-old my mom enrolled me in classes at a small local studio and I have not stopped dancing since.  I outgrew the local studio and now I travel 36 miles from my home (each direction) every day to train at a pre-professional ballet school. I am a member of the studio company, Ballet Ensemble of Texas .  I take dance classes 6 days a week and rehearse with my company twice a week.  Combined the weekly classes and rehearsals add up to approximately 25 hours of dance.  In addition to preparing for the annual Nutcracker performance and learning new choreography for the spring show, I am currently working with a dance instructor to learn choreography to compete at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP).  YAGP is an international ballet competition where dancers all over the world compete for a chance to win scholarships and contracts with major ballet companies.  Although it has similarities to a competition that you would see on Dance Moms, the stakes are higher, and the level of talent is much greater.  When I am finished with school I hope to use my passion open a studio and share the love of dance with the next generation of ballerinas.