MELODY-LYNN DREWITZ-VAN VEEN, B.ED. RAD RTS

Melody grew up in southern Saskatchewan, where she trained from a young age under Doris Sitter inAssiniboia and later Moose Jaw. Taking lessonsin ballet, tap, jazz, baton, and highland dancing, her love for dance continued into adulthood. While completing her Bachelor’s of Education degree and then teaching Mathematics and Music in school, she studied and obtained teaching certificates from several dance organizations as well – CDTA, RAD, and SBTA, to name a few. Eventually, her love for the arts became her fulltime job! As a dance teacher for over 40 years, Melody has operated several dance studios in southern Saskatchewan with her sisters in the Drewitz family business, taught in Calgary at Danscott Studio, and in Edmonton at Shelley’s Dance Company, where she was on staff from 1999-2015.

Melody is a registered RAD ballet teacher, choreographer, and mentor, as well as an examiner for the Canadian Dance Teachers’ Association in the Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario Branches. She has served as a Director to the CDTA National Board many times since 1986, as well as on various National Syllabus Committees. Melody was awarded Honorary membership to CDTA in 2000 and became a Life Member of the Saskatchewan Branch in 2004. Currently, Melody is in her second term as President of the CDTA National Board.

Many of Melody’s students are either dancing professionally in companies and on cruise ships, or are teaching in studios across the country. Melody’s mandate has always been to encourage her students to strive to be the best that they can be, whatever level of dance they are at, butmost of all,for them to take the joy and appreciation for music and dance with them throughout their life.

Moving from Sherwood Park, Alberta to Hamilton, Ontario with her family in 2015, Melody spends much of her “retired” time helping out fellow dance teachers, mentoring teachers-in-training, guest teaching, examining, judging, organizing CDTA exams for the Saskatchewan Branch, and serving CDTA across the country as needed. She is very proud to be a member of CDTA since 1974 and is excited to celebrate its 70th Anniversary in 2019!