Aside from being an extraordinary dancer, Melanie is also quite the intellectual, studying many areas of IT, Marketing and Graphic Design and works full-time as a Product Manager and Trade Marketer for Australia’s largest IT distributor Tech Pacific. Melanie also holds a Diploma of Marketing Management as well as many other certificates in the IT field.

Melanie’s artistic, performing side was nurtured at a very early age. She started playing the piano at the age of 7 and continued to do so until her late teens. She also picked up the clarinet and saxophone at the age of 11. She traveled around Australia to play in concerts and won numerous musical competitions by the time she was 18 years of age.

Through the encouragement of her athletic father, Melanie possesses a strong sporting streak and was a first division Netballer for 10 years. She was a prominent player of her team winning several awards for player of the year. Part of a very successful team, they won competition champions nearly every year of her competitive career. She was also competitive swimmer for most of her early years.

Complimenting her natural athleticism and artistic flair, Melanie began intensive dance training as it was only a natural extension of her dual nature. She commenced jazz ballet at the age of 6, which she continues through to her adult years where she continues her extensive Jazz and Funk training with professional dance schools.

It was through a chance encounter at a Latin night club that Melanie had her first taste of Latin dance. Her exotic heritage coming to the fore, she took to salsa very quickly. She commenced Latin dance with a passion in 2001 before it was tragically cut short by a bad skiing accident. It was only after major knee reconstruction surgery and a whole year spent in recovery, Melanie made a triumphant return to dancing in the LDA Annual ball in 2002, where she participated in the Samba Batucada choreography.

It was her exuberant presence and extraordinary interpretation of dance that captured the attention of Marcia during the 2002 ball and she was asked to join and has been a member of LDA since May 2003.

Since then she has never looked back. Melanie now travels regularly to enrich her already extensive dance skills:

In May 2003 she traveled with LDA to LA to attend the 5th Annual World Salsa Congress 2003 and learn from the worlds best dancers.

In June 2004 she traveled to Europe to augment her dance skills with the best in Europe. Traveling to London, attending the Paris Salsa Congress 2004 and traveling to the culturally diverse countries of Portugal, Spain and Salsa mad Italy.

Melanie lights up the stage with her charismatic fire and energy in the LDA dance shows and her friendly and out-going attitude endears her as one of the most generous and loved dancers in the Sydney Salsa scene. A breathe of fresh air, Melanie Cole is a welcome addition to the LDA team.