Melissa Barak (born August 9, 1979, in Los AngelesState of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995 (Sacramento, CA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics).) is a choreographer and ballerina. Since 2006 she has danced with the Los Angeles Ballet and with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, formerly having danced for New York City Ballet.
Dance career Barak began her studies in Santa Monica at Westside School of Ballet with Yvonne Mounsey, Rosemary Valaire, and Nader Hamed. She then moved to New York City in 1996 to attend City Ballet's affiliate, the School of American Ballet, where she originated a role in Christopher Wheeldon's Soiree Musicale in the 1998 Annual Workshop. She danced with City Ballet for nine years.
She was named one of "25 to Watch" in 2002 by Dance Magazine.
Featured roles
George Balanchine Cortège Hongrois The Four Temperaments The Nutcracker A Midsummer Night's Dream
Peter Martins The Sleeping Beauty Swan Lake
Christopher Wheeldon Carnival of the Animals
Originated corps roles
Eliot Feld Organon
Peter Martins Chichester Psalms
Richard Tanner Soirée
Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris Klavier Mercurial Manoeuvres
Choreographic career Having danced with the New York City Ballet, Barak's work shows influence from George Balanchine. It was at the City Ballet that Barak's work was first noticed by Peter Martins when she was eighteen years old. He commissioned a piece from her for the School of American Ballet in 2001. Barak founded the company Barak Ballet.
Choreography
NYCB Telemann Overture Suite in E Minor, January 6, 2002.
School of American Ballet Annual Workshop Telemann Overture Suite in E Minor, June 2001
Diamond Project If by Chance, June 4, 2002
Honors Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography, 2001
References