- International Dance Council Member
- With Fred Astaire Dance Studios for over 25 years
BIO
Originally from New York, Melanie LaPatin is a world-class professional Latin/Ballroom dance champion, having captured over 100 championship titles. She’s traveled throughout the world as a competitor, coach, choreographer, and adjudicator since 1980. She represented the United States in twelve Professional World Championships. LaPatin is in high demand as a coach of top dancers around the world and as a choreographer for actors in film, television and Broadway. She has choreographed and appeared on film in such major motion pictures as Dance with Me, The Thomas Crown Affair, Let It Be Me, The Last Days of Disco, What To Expect When You’re Expecting , Angriest Man In Brooklyn, and Leading Ladies (where she was cast as the lead actress). She has also appeared in 10 seasons as a choreographer on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and So You Think You Can Dance: Canada. As a dance coach and choreographer, she has worked with some of the most renowned film and television personalities including Pierce Brosnan, Renee Russo, Robin Williams, Melissa Leo, Vanessa Williams, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Leslie Caron, Jennifer Beals, Harvey Keitel, Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Megan Mullally, Russell Crowe, Emma Watson and Barbara Walters. Melanie also choreographed a photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar called “Dancing with the Designers” that featured Jessica Biel and high-end designers Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Diane Von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein and Zac Posen.