Our Company

Our Leadership

  • Melinda C. Jacques, Studio Director & Artistic Director

    Melinda’s journey began in 2007, when she started her training under the direction of Kathy Thomas-Law, the founder of the original En Pointe School of Dance. Her passion for the craft led her to Brenau University, where she graduated in 2017 with a B.A. in Dance Studies and a minor in Small Business Management—an achievement later honored by her alma mater with the 2024 Young Alumna Award, an award for Brenau Alumna who have graduated within the last 10 years who have made an impact in their industry. After moving into the Atlanta professional scene after college, Melinda established herself as a prolific choreographer and performer. She even co-founded the former professional dance company, Profectus, in 2020.

    Her creative career reached a landmark in late 2022 with the premiere of her original two-act Modern production, The Fine Line Between the End & the Beginning, which told the story of Kathy’s life and the passing of her legacy to Melinda. After shifting her focus to En Pointe and Avoda Dance Company full time, she has continued to choreograph impactful and professional-quality full-length works, notably including Into the Wardrobe (2023), The Snow Queen (2024), The Word Shaker (2025), and I.D. (2025).

    Since taking ownership of En Pointe in 2021, Melinda has more than doubled the student body and launched Avoda Dance Company, a premier pre-professional program she has spent the last four years perfecting to produce exceptionally well-rounded dancers. Central to this growth is her "Always Love" philosophy—a commitment to nurturing the "whole child" by prioritizing mental and physical well-being alongside elite technical excellence. By bridging her extensive choreographic repertoire with strategic business leadership, Melinda is dedicated to fostering a sanctuary where the next generation of dancers can thrive with heart and discipline.

Additional Staff & Guest Artists

  • Nancy Glasscock

    Assistant Choreographer

    Nancy Glasscock joined us as a choreographer in 2023, collaborating with Melinda C. Jacques for our original ballets, Into the Wardrobe and Circumspect. In 2024, Nancy was promoted to Assistant Choreographer has served the company in this capacity in many of our classical full length shows. Nancy is a professional performer and teaching artist. She spent 2 years in Modern company, Profectus, and has been performing with Gwinnett Ballet Theatre since 2023. Most recently, Nancy was the lead choreographer for our 2-act ballet, Snow White and she coached our dancers’ classical variations that were competed at Youth American Grand Prix in 2026.

  • Jordan Silas

    Adjunct Choreographer/Lead Instructor for Apprentice Company

    Jordan joined the teaching staff at En Pointe in 2023 and has since become the lead instructor for our Apprentice Company level. Jordan has over two decads of experience in Ballet. She has danced several lead roles, including the iconic Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Most recently, she also has earned her PBT certification, which is a special cross training program for Ballet dancers. She now cross trains our company dancers and recreational dancers at our home studio, En Pointe School of Dance. Jordan also serves as Assistant Choreographer to the company, notably her choreography was competed by the company at the Youth American Grand Prix in 2026,

  • Zoe Otto

    Director of Competitions/Lead Instructor for Junior Company and Mini Company

    Zoe joined Avoda's staff as assistant choreographer for the team in 2023. Zoe is graduating from Brenau University in 2026, where she has attended on scholarship, studying to earn her degree in Dance with a focus on pedagogy. Zoe has been teaching and choreographing since 2021. She has traveled the world to study dance, including attending the Staibdance in Italy Summer Intensive in 2024. Through that and Brenau, she has vast experience with contemporary dance. She is a new and fresh voice in the the dance community and we are thrilled to have her lead the company as the Director of Competitions. Zoe plans the competition schedule, choroegraphs dances that the company performs and competes, as well as runs rehearsals for the Junior Company and Mini Company each week.

Company Dancers

Photos coming Soon