Alexa & Melanie Sanniola, sisters from New Jersey, have been involved with Relative Motion since the beginning stages of its release in 2020. As Master Instructors with Relative Motion they have assisted in teacher trainings, have classes on the RM portal and taught guest RM classes at competitions and conventions.
Alexa has been a dance educator for over a decade, advocating for "smart" dance training. Alexa graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts 2014 with a B.F.A. in Dance and received the University Dance Works Scholarship & Dance Express Choreography Award. In addition to Relative Motion, Alexa is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer with Corrective Exercise, Youth Exercise, & Performance Enhancement Specialties & is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (Level 3), Progressing Contemporary Technique & is a T Spheres Certified Teacher. Her students have gone on to perform in the National Tour of Matilda, the North American Tour of Mean Girls and attend Boston Conservatory, UArts, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Montclair State, Alvin Ailey and more! Alexa has worked with Larry Keigwin, Brian Brooks, Julia Ritter, Ginger Thatcher, Pamela Levy, Stefanie Batten Bland, & Sidra Bella & performed at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington D.C.). As a member of Zella Dance Company, Alexa performed across the United States & she toured internationally with the production Uma Saudação à Whitney Houston.
Melanie, through over a decade of teaching, continues to put technique first and continue her own education to provide science-based, proven training to all of her students. Melanie is a graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2016 with a B.F.A. in Dance, cum laude, and was a recipient of the prestigious James Dickson Carr Scholarship. She has worked with choreographers Jessica Lang, Nick Bruder, Kate Weare, Jennifer Freeman, Kim Gibilisco, Keith Thompson, Pamela Levy, Doug Elkins, and Julia Ritter. As a member of the Movement Playground she has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Jacob’s Pillow, and other note-worthy NYC venues. In addition to Relative Motion Melanie is a T Spheres Certified Teacher and is certified in Alixa Flexibility (Level 3), Progressing Ballet Technique Level 3 (PBT), & Flexistretcher (Advanced).
In 2017 Alexa & Melanie founded Lambarri Dance Arts, in memory of their grandmother Nilda Lambarri who passed from Dementia, to provide a space for young dancers to grow as artists while developing their technique incorporating functional, science-based training methods to train in "smart" and more efficient ways.
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