Melissa M. Young is a Honduran American artistic leader and educator whose decades-long career spans performance, curation, teaching, and executive arts leadership. A graduate of The Ailey School, she later earned graduate-level certifications in Leadership, Management, and Analytical Skills from Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business and is a certified teacher through The Ailey Horton Teacher Certification Program.

Melissa’s 30-year journey with Dallas Black Dance Theatre—from company dancer to Artistic Director (2018–2024)—reflects her steady rise as an influential leader in the dance field. Her performances and artistic influence have appeared on renowned stages including Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and two Cultural Olympiads. During her tenure as Artistic Director, she commissioned over 30 choreographers and cultivated national and international partnerships that expanded the organization’s artistic reach and visibility.

Specializing in Lester Horton Technique, Melissa has taught nationally and internationally for universities, conservatories, professional companies, and major festivals. Her leadership extends into service roles with organizations including Dance Data Project® and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Today, Melissa is the Co-Founder and Chief Artistic Officer of Artistic Directors International, a global platform cultivating artistic directors across all stages of leadership while advancing the practice of artistic directorship across disciplines, and a forthcoming leading practitioner for the MA in Black British Dance and Performance at the United Kingdom’s Northern School of Contemporary Dance in partnership with Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage. She continues to shape the field through a leadership style defined by clarity, rigor, and artistic excellence.