Monessa Salley (Afro-Fusion Dance Adjunct)

South Carolina native, Monessa Salley, has been with Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company for five consecutive seasons professionally dancing, performing, choreographing, teaching, and serving as Production Lead for SCD’s In-Studio Performance Series. In addition to her work at SCD, she is an adjunct Dance Educator for the Booker High School VPA Dance Department, a Teaching Artist for New College of Florida, and serves as an Arts Integration Teaching Artist for several organizations, including The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the R.E.A.C.H. Program, Sarasota Art Museum, and West Coast Black Theater Troupe. She began training in dance at a young age and is well-versed in a variety of genres.  She holds a B.A. in Dance Performance from Winthrop University and a Masters of Education in Divergent Learning from Columbia College. After dancing with several professional dance companies, continued education, and serving as a certified Dance Educator and Theater Production Manager for 12 years in SC public schools, she went on to pursue her MFA in Dance Performance and New Media at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts, where she performed with NYU’s Second Avenue Dance Company. Predominantly teaching Tap, Traditional West African, and Afro-Fusion, Salley is inspired by rhythm, culture, community, and dance as a universal language and enjoys teaching all ages. When she is not dancing, she enjoys reading, building with legos, spending time with loved ones and her dogs, outdoor and aquatic activities in nature, viewing sunsets, and doing anything that involves good company and laughter!