Our City Tonight sat down with Brittany Melo, a local professional dance instructor based in Vancouver. She is the director of the Las Melodias dance team who perform around Vancouver. She was also joined by one of the dance members from the team, Dalene Samborski, who has a heart-warming story of how she started dancing with this group. Brittany has trained professionally in ballet and ballroom, and for the past 20 years has specialized in Salsa and Flamenco Fusion. She has been working with Dalene for about a year and a half. The Las Melodias Dance Team performs and competes at a national level. 

OCT: Brittany, you are a very experienced dance instructor, you have studied ballet, ballroom, dance, and all the Latin-inspired dance forms. Let’s talk a little bit about why you started this unique dance team, Las Melodias.

BM: I created this dance team to allow women of all ages, all backgrounds, and all dance experience levels to have a platform to experience that inner dance self that I think so many of us are looking to experience. There tends to be a bit of a barrier for people who didn’t have perfect dance training since the age of three. It is a common belief that if you didn’t start when you were young then this lifestyle and these opportunities aren’t available for you. I think that this is a nice way to experience dance in a casual way, but also a professional way that is challenging and also artistic, and it gives everyone on the team a chance to experience their personal dance goals.

OCT: Dance can be very intimidating and I remember as a young girl experiencing the same thing as I watched seasoned dancers. I could never imagine myself ever being able to do that. Dalene (dance member), you have loved dance for a long time, but you took it up not that long ago and now it has totally taken over your life. You have such a passion for dance and then you found this amazing team. I can tell from the way you share your experiences that it has transformed your life. Can you share a little bit of that experience.

DS: I believe it was in December last year that Brittany talked about putting together a team and she asked me if I would audition. I immediately said I don’t think so, and I was quite surprised that she was even asking me. In the end I decided to take her up on her offer only because I was open to trying something new. I saw the audition as an experience. I wasn’t really thinking that I would actually dance with this team. The whole experience was warm and welcoming. The environment was supportive and there were about 20 or maybe even 30 women in the room and I found it super exciting to dance with them. All ages and all levels came together, and it was super empowering. 

OCT: It’s a very empowering story. You have now danced in some large shows, including dancing at the Carnaval del Sol in Vancouver. Brittany (instructor) let’s talk about your beginnings as a young dancer.

BM: My dance journey began with my mom who found that I was dancing around on my tiptoes at a young age, so she put me into ballet. My parents also ran a ballroom dance school, so I grew up in that environment. Dance requires a lot of discipline, so I believe there really is a rise and fall with dancing throughout one’s lifetime. What I have found is that someone can be involved with dance very early on then take a break and come back with a genuinely fresh set of eyes. That kind of describes my dance journey. I have picked it up and put it down many times over my dance career. Now I have picked it up again and I am equally obsessed.

OCT: For both of you who come from different experiences with dance, I want to ask each of you what would you say to someone who was thinking about starting dancing but was hesitant for all the same reasons we discussed. Dalene, if someone was like you and now loves to dance, how would you encourage them to go for it?

DS: I started about 10 years ago with mostly Zumba and I was looking for something just a little bit more. A friend told me about classes where they taught more technique. I decided to try that and see what that was like. I think part of it for me, coming into this at an older age and not having that prior experience, was just having the confidence and being vulnerable to say, let’s just give it a go. I also I think having a sense of humour is super helpful on the dance floor and life in general. On the dance floor, it’s especially helpful to not take yourself too seriously. My words of advice would be to go for it and don’t wait.

OCT: Brittany what would you say to someone who was on the fence about getting involved with dance?

BM: Dance has so many benefits that go beyond just being artistic. It’s a social activity, it provides long-term health benefits, and it has so many muscle memory aspects to support learning in different areas. Dance get’s you out of your head and off your phone. Additionally, I think it helps to make you feel like you’re living your dream a little bit. You sweat at practice, you feel like you’re working hard and end with that sense of accomplishment. It’s also fun to put on a fancy costume with all the rhinestones, take photos and videos with great people that support you. It’s a well-rounded experience overall.

OCT: Thank you for sharing a look into this wonderful community and congratulations to you both on all the success. 

For more info on Melo Movement melomvmt.com