Originally from Pesaro, Italy, Melissa’s artistic journey has been shaped by diverse cultural influences. After graduating from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (UK) in 2011, she worked and lived in Istanbul (2012–2017), where she developed a critical perspective on the global socio-political landscape. As a freelance dancer and rehearsal director, she has worked internationally with artists and companies such as Aakash Odedra (UK/IN), Cie7273 (CH), Art of Spectra (SE) and the Akram Khan Company (UK). Her movement practice is informed by these collaborations together with a vivid interest in the interdependence of body & mind, and has been shared through workshops across Europe, Turkey, India, and Iran. Since 2020, she has been based in Germany, working with Falk Richter and Anouk Van Dijk at Münchener Kammerspiele and engages in current research with fellow artists like Gizem Aksu (TR/DE), Rosana Ribeiro | Selva (AT), and TingAn Ying (TW). Melissa currently divides her time between Berlin and Frankfurt, where she is pursuing an MA in Contemporary Dance Education.