T R A I N I N G
A Dance and Studio Art alum of Mount Holyoke College, Merli is a professional dancer and an interdisciplinary artist with a background in ballet and modern. She is a member of Nataraj Dancers, a classical Indian dance company with whom she studied in India in 2007 and performed in Japan in 2009. She is also an artistic filmmaker, having won several awards for her dance-on-camera films including Best Dance on Camera and Best of Festival at the 2009 Five College Film Festival. This past summer, Merli founded Luminarium Dance, a contemporary and modern dance company that combines light with movement, along with co-director Kimberleigh A. Holman. In October, the company sold out both nights of its debut performance at the Dance Complex and has been invited to perform at both Green Street Studios and Mount Holyoke College in the coming year.

Teachers include:

MODERN
Paul Dennis (Limon) 
Colleen Thomas
Paul Matteson
Lorraine Chapman

BALLET
José Matéo (Ballet Theatre Boston)                   
Chip Morris (Commonwealth Ballet)
Kathryn Anderson
Jean D'Urbano

OTHER
Ranjanaa Devi (Indian Dance)
Tim Early (Jazz)
Mark Davis (Jazz)
Kieran Jordan (Irish Step Dance)

S U M M E R   T R A I N I N G
2008                      Bates Summer Dance Festival
2003-06                José Matéo’s Ballet Theatre of Boston