Melanie Lovato-Giarnese
Owner/Director/Choreographer
Owner/Director/Choreographer
Miss Melanie began dancing at the age of 4 and entered the world of competition by age 10, performing at both local and national dance competitions throughout New England. Her love for performing quickly grew into a passion for teaching, which began when she became a teacher’s helper as a young dancer.
Over the years, Miss Melanie has taught and choreographed in many settings. In 1990, she choreographed the dance segments for The Wizard of Oz at St. Francis of Assisi School, taught tap, acrobatics, and jazz through the AHA after-school program at North Canaan Elementary, and worked with multiple school cheerleading teams. She choreographed for the Wamogo cheerleaders, led an acro/tumbling program for the Gilbert cheerleaders, and in 2006 created a hip hop routine for Oliver Wolcott High School’s cheerleaders that placed 2nd at competition. She has also performed in the St. Jude’s Telethon.
Dedicated to always growing as an educator, Miss Melanie is a member of AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) and is CPR and First Aid certified. She continually expands her knowledge by attending workshops, conventions, and master classes. Her training includes a wide range of styles—flamenco, Indian, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, swing, acrobatics, pointe, lyrical, and character dance—as well as studies in Pilates, nutrition, injury prevention, and performance preparation. She has trained at CT Dance (formerly Hartford Ballet), attended the Pulse Tour in New York City with So You Think You Can Dance choreographers, and studied under renowned master teachers such as Savion Glover, Darryl Retter, Debbie Dee, Keith Clifton, Dena Rizzo, and the late Al Gilbert, among many others.
With decades of experience, Miss Melanie takes great pride in watching her students thrive—both in the classroom and on stage, where they have earned numerous awards at competitions. She believes strongly in the motto “everything happens for a reason,” and encourages her dancers to follow their hearts and trust that with hard work, dreams can come true.
Over the years, Miss Melanie has taught and choreographed in many settings. In 1990, she choreographed the dance segments for The Wizard of Oz at St. Francis of Assisi School, taught tap, acrobatics, and jazz through the AHA after-school program at North Canaan Elementary, and worked with multiple school cheerleading teams. She choreographed for the Wamogo cheerleaders, led an acro/tumbling program for the Gilbert cheerleaders, and in 2006 created a hip hop routine for Oliver Wolcott High School’s cheerleaders that placed 2nd at competition. She has also performed in the St. Jude’s Telethon.
Dedicated to always growing as an educator, Miss Melanie is a member of AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) and is CPR and First Aid certified. She continually expands her knowledge by attending workshops, conventions, and master classes. Her training includes a wide range of styles—flamenco, Indian, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, swing, acrobatics, pointe, lyrical, and character dance—as well as studies in Pilates, nutrition, injury prevention, and performance preparation. She has trained at CT Dance (formerly Hartford Ballet), attended the Pulse Tour in New York City with So You Think You Can Dance choreographers, and studied under renowned master teachers such as Savion Glover, Darryl Retter, Debbie Dee, Keith Clifton, Dena Rizzo, and the late Al Gilbert, among many others.
With decades of experience, Miss Melanie takes great pride in watching her students thrive—both in the classroom and on stage, where they have earned numerous awards at competitions. She believes strongly in the motto “everything happens for a reason,” and encourages her dancers to follow their hearts and trust that with hard work, dreams can come true.
Dina Hague
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Miss Dina has been dancing since the age of four and brings over 33 years of teaching experience to the studio. Over the course of her career, she has competed and placed in numerous dance competitions and has trained with renowned choreographers such as Scott Benson, Darryl Retter, Al Gilbert, Henry Le Tang, and Frank Hatchett.
For 20 years, Miss Dina owned and operated her own dance studio, where she taught a wide range of styles. She has a passion for working with dancers of all ages and has especially enjoyed leading Tap and Little Movers classes. In addition to studio work, she has choreographed musical productions including Beauty and the Beast and Seussical Jr. for the Children’s Theatre at the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education. She has also performed in musicals at both the Warner Theatre and the Thomaston Opera House.
Beyond the stage, Miss Dina has been teaching Country Line Dance and Tap to seniors at the Torrington Senior Center for the past eight years. In 2012, she partnered with the D.A.R.E. program to choreograph a biker-themed flash mob for “Torrington Thunder,” performed at the Main Street Marketplace.
In addition to her work in dance, Miss Dina is also a dedicated healthcare educator, teaching Phlebotomy and CNA courses at the Academy of Medical Training in Torrington.
Miss Dina is passionate about helping her students grow—not just as dancers, but as confident individuals. She believes dance fosters self-esteem, discipline, and a strong sense of self-image, and she is excited to share her love of dance with your children.
For 20 years, Miss Dina owned and operated her own dance studio, where she taught a wide range of styles. She has a passion for working with dancers of all ages and has especially enjoyed leading Tap and Little Movers classes. In addition to studio work, she has choreographed musical productions including Beauty and the Beast and Seussical Jr. for the Children’s Theatre at the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education. She has also performed in musicals at both the Warner Theatre and the Thomaston Opera House.
Beyond the stage, Miss Dina has been teaching Country Line Dance and Tap to seniors at the Torrington Senior Center for the past eight years. In 2012, she partnered with the D.A.R.E. program to choreograph a biker-themed flash mob for “Torrington Thunder,” performed at the Main Street Marketplace.
In addition to her work in dance, Miss Dina is also a dedicated healthcare educator, teaching Phlebotomy and CNA courses at the Academy of Medical Training in Torrington.
Miss Dina is passionate about helping her students grow—not just as dancers, but as confident individuals. She believes dance fosters self-esteem, discipline, and a strong sense of self-image, and she is excited to share her love of dance with your children.
Alyssa Lyga
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Miss Alyssa has been dancing for 21 years and teaching at MMDZ for the past 8. Her dance journey began at age 3, when she briefly tried ballet and tap at the Harwinton recreation center. She returned to dance at age 7 through jazz and acro classes offered at her elementary school, taught by a local instructor.
In middle school, Miss Alyssa grew more serious about dance and began training at Miss Melanie’s. She started with hip hop and acro, and soon expanded into kickline, jazz, lyrical, modern, ballet, and pointe. She went on to compete for nearly 10 years and quickly realized that dance was her passion and future career path.
Throughout high school, Miss Alyssa continued dancing at Miss Melanie’s while also leading the Lewis Mills dance team—serving as co-captain her sophomore year and captain during her junior and senior years. During that time, she choreographed hip hop and jazz routines for school pep rallies and guided the team to compete in a local high school dance/cheer competition.
After graduating high school, Miss Alyssa attended Central Connecticut State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in dance in 2022. Alongside teaching at MMDZ, she has furthered her training through workshops in a variety of styles. When she isn’t teaching, Miss Alyssa works at KidsPlay Children’s Museum in downtown Torrington. She also enjoys photography, jewelry making, and reading.
Mikalah Ferrigno
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Miss Mikalah has been an integral part of Miss Melanie's Dance Zone from the very beginning—first as a student, then as a helper, and most recently as an assistant teacher. She began her dance journey at just three years old, taking ballet and tap at a local Torrington studio under the guidance of Miss Melanie. After Miss Melanie’s Dance Zone opened, Mikalah expanded her training to include a variety of styles, such as lyrical, modern, hip hop, jazz, pointe, and kick line.
Over the years, Mikalah has competed in numerous dance competitions and further honed her craft through workshops with renowned dancers, including Slam, Jason Samuels, Savion Glover, Musa Cooper, Alex Wong, Twitch, and other stars from So You Think You Can Dance.
After 15 years of dedicated training, Mikalah graduated high school while continuing her education and remaining actively involved with MMDZ. As an assistant teacher for two years, she has choreographed routines that participated in competitions and is excited to continue her work as a choreographer as MMDZ moves forward.
In addition to her work at MMDZ, Mikalah has taught ballet, tap, and hip hop classes at Connecticut Dance Theater under Mrs. Bonasera, and has led ballet intensive classes at Reach For The Stars.
Miss Mikalah is deeply grateful to Miss Melanie for entrusting her with competition classes and students and is honored to continue her journey with MMDZ into adulthood. She looks forward to an exciting first year at the new studio!