Board of Directors

Jamie grew up in rural Sacramento, playing outside, making art & dancing around the house. She came to Santa Cruz for college and received a B.A. in Studio Art from UCSC. In her current position at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History(MAH), she manages the museum’s outreach and education programs as well as leading various community events. Her passion is creating interactive experiences and hopes to build positive and innovative spaces where everyone can explore, play, create, be inspired and feel empowered. She also has a soft spot for fun, funky dance moves and sometimes leads a fun dance class called Power Prance.

Melissa is Motion Pacific’s newest board member, and one of our longest teaching staff members. She began teaching for Motion in 2005 after moving from Southern California and transferring to UCSC, with already a decade’s worth of experience choreographing and teaching ballet, tap, hip hop and jazz.

Motion became an immediate home away from home, and she has been integral in helping develop our youth program. Over the last 10 years she has grown into the Artistic Director role of Stockings; a Holiday Cabaret, our annual fundraiser event that takes place in December. After taking over Family Network Preschool in 2014 she decreased her teaching schedule, and now teaches adult Contemporary Jazz to a dedicated following, and loves bringing new folx into the fold.

Melissa’s style ranges from slow(ish) paced and moody, to fast paced and fun, to sultry and sexy, and is always technical and expressive. Class always starts with a meditative flowing warm-up and stretch, incorporating toning and conditioning, and then moves to choreography.

Rebecca Blair was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet and the Harkness House Ballet School in New York City. There she studied with Master Teachers Alexandra Danilova, Stanley Williams, David Howard, Maria Vegh, Murial Stewart, and Helene Dudin. She was a charter member of both Maria Tallchief's Chicago City Ballet and the Lyric Opera Ballet Company, dancing soloist roles. In her capacity as Ballet Mistress at CCB, she helped stage several Balanchine Ballets.Rebecca has been teaching adult and childrens ballet classes in Santa Cruz since 1991. She has taught at the Studio School of Classical Ballet, Motion Pacific (where she was also Co-Director for six years), and the Palomar Ballroom. She is currently the Company Manager for Tandy Beal and Company, as well as Stage Manager and Rehearsal Director. Rebecca has choreographed for the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Ballet Santa Cruz, Motion Pacific, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and Cabrillo Stage (The Fantastics), She has Stage Managed for many local dance studios, as well as the Alvin Ailey Camp at Cal Performances Zellerbach in Berkeley.