Who We Are
The Dance Conservatory of Los Angeles is dedicated to enriching the lives of its students and their community through the art and joy of dance. We believe in a friendly, warm, and inspiring atmosphere where children and adults of all ages and all levels can express themselves in a creative, nurturing, and artistic way. We pride ourselves on being an academy where our education, professionalism ,and honor are of the highest standard and where our facilities, curriculum, and renowned faculty are of the world's absolute finest…
We offer an abundance of techniques and styles to all ages 12 months-Adult of all levels:
Ballet
Tap
Hip-Hop
Jazz
Contemporary
Modern
Lyrical
Grown-up & Me
Musical Theater
Summer & Holiday Camps
Birthday Parties. & Events
Samantha Melo
Founder & Owner
Born and raised in New York, Samantha began her training at the age of five with Roya Curie, former prima ballerina of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. After Curie’s passing, Samantha continued her studies with Peter and Lisa Newman of New York City Ballet and Valerie Feit of Alvin Ailey. Throughout her childhood Samantha was accepted to and attended many schools such as the Joffrey Ballet School, Alvin Ailey and the American Academy of Ballet. In 2002, Samantha attended the University of Hartford’s Hartt Conservatory on scholarship. In 2004, she was awarded a scholarship to attend Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Performance and Dance Pedagogy in 2006. Upon Graduation, Samantha became a faculty member for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Pittsburgh Youth Ballet and began her professional dancing career. After moving to Los Angeles, she danced principal roles with companies such as California Contemporary Ballet, Creations Dance Theatre, Media City Ballet, and Louise Reichlan’s Los Angeles Choreographers and Dancers. She was represented by both Trio and Bloch talent agencies where she booked many jobs in the entertainment business. As for teaching, Samantha taught for many different prestigious studios throughout Los Angeles as well as for the LA Unified School District. In 2011, Samantha returned to Pittsburgh where she opened The Pennsylvania Academy of Dance and accumulated over 200 students just within the first year. Samantha has held the prestigious title of the Dean of the Early Bird program at Debbie Allen Dance Academy and is the founder and owner of The Dance Conservatory of Los Angeles. In 2024, she launched “Dance with Miss Samantha”, a free online dance education platform that reaches people of all ages and levels; all over the world. She most recently has partnered with The Ronald Mcdonald House of Los Angeles to help families in need. Samantha has been an educator and leader for 100’s of schools and organizations all over the country and continues to spread a strong dance education and love for the arts, all over the world.
