MELINDA KASAL-CANTY
!ACCENT! Dancers
Melinda Kasal-Canty
!ACCENT! Dancers
Melinda (Ms. Mel), as her students affectionately call her owns and instructs !ACCENT! Dancers, a program and studio she founded in 2001 in Woodbridge, VA. She began the program initially at a community recreation center where cultivated it for 13 years before opening her own studio in 2013. Now in its 22nd year, Melinda teaches ages two to 60+, covering Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Creative Movement, and Tap.
From the day she began teaching, Melinda’s philosophy has always been that dance is an ART and should be available to anyone, no matter who you are, where you are from, nor your age, because that is how she began her dance experience. If she wasn’t accepted by her first dance instructor at the age of 16, and nurtured, she wouldn’t be who she is today. Melinda’s “Teacher’s Heart” includes Communication, Patience, Humor, Generosity, Respect, Family, Passion, Love, and Tenaciousness.
Melinda (Mel) Kasal-Canty is the President of !ACCENT! Dancers and ACCENT ON U WELLNESS. An accomplished dancer/dance educator and a health-fitness Coach, she directs and manages both businesses while raising a family. She is also an Adjunct Professor for Lionel University, teaching individuals to obtain Fitness Certifications.
Melinda (Mel) Kasal-Canty is the owner and sole instructor of !ACCENT! Dancers, a multi-faceted dance, and fitness studio which also houses ACCENT ON U WELLNESS (an enterprise which offers everything wellness-oriented to include fitness classes, nutrition counseling, and CPR instruction). Now in its 22nd year, Melinda started !ACCENT! Dancers in a community center. After 13 years, she was able to relocate to her own studio, and cultivate !ACCENT! Dancers into a full, technical dance program offering Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, and Creative Movement for ages two to 60+. To date, Melinda has produced 42 recitals (two a year, with an average of 20 choreographies per recital). In addition, Melinda choreographs for special events such as wedding first dances, sweet 16s, and special community events.
Melinda is also an Adjunct Professor for Lionel University, teaching individuals to obtain their Fitness Certifications. She is a proud Air Force retiree, serving 20+ years. Her dance training is varied and accessed before and while serving in the military from different Universities (San Diego State University; Christopher Newport University; and University of Maryland). She has a Master’s in Project Management (Summa Cum Laude), a BS in Business, an Associates in Sports Science (which includes multiple fitness certifications), several certifications from DEL (most recent being DEL F.I.T), and is a certified American Red Cross instructor.