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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rhonda Diffenbach Community Coordinator (561) 714-0042 radiff@outlook.com Being More Than Just Great Dancers Gets Local Studio National Recognition Boca Dance Studio Receives Two National Awards in One Month Melanie Gibbs, Boca Raton resident and business owner, received the 2015 Member of the Year Award at the More Than Just Great DancingTM Member Rally in Phoenix, Arizona. More Than Just Great DancingTM is a national affiliation of dance studios that are committed to excellence in dance, instructor training, mentoring studio owners and community outreach. Gibbs was recognized for her significant contributions in leadership, enthusiasm and positive impact on the More Than Just Great Dancing community. While this is a tremendous accomplishment and honor, for those that know Gibbs it is not surprising. Gibbs’ dance programs, at Boca Dance Studio in Boca Raton and ProAm Dance Studio in Pompano Beach, go beyond teaching dance, they teach important life skills such as, respect, teamwork, discipline and compassion. Gibbs’ goal is for her dancers to grow into confident, conscientious young people who share their gifts and talents with the community. Gibbs’ dancers can be found performing at charity events from West Palm Beach to Miami. In addition to performing at fund raisers, her dancers have successfully spearheaded a variety of community outreach projects such as collecting school supplies for third world countries, gathering supplies for local children’s shelters, food drives and helping bring the performing arts to underprivileged children. In July, Gibbs’ Boca Dance Studio was also named the 2014-2015 Traveling Tutus’ Studio of the Year. Based out of Orlando, Traveling Tutus is a charitable organization that helps bring the performing arts to underprivileged children around the world. Gibbs’ credits the studio’s Ambassador for Traveling Tutus, Dancer Cassandra Santiago, Boca Raton Middle School, for the studio’s outstanding success in fund raising, securing business sponsorships, collecting and donating hundreds of costumes and showcasing Traveling Tutus at this year’s recital to over 2100 audience members and 375 dancers. In addition to the studio being recognized, Gibbs was selected to serve on the Traveling Tutus’ Board of Directors. As part of Gibbs efforts to encourage academic excellence in the dance community, Gibbs established and leads the only local chapter of Nu Delta Alpha, a national dance honor society that recognizes academic and artistic achievements for middle, high school and college dancers. Currently, Gibbs’ Nu Delta Alpha chapter has over 100 members from seven local dance studios. Each year new members are inducted in November; any area dancers interested in finding out more about honor society can contact Boca Dance Studio (Palm Beach County) or ProAm Dance Studio (Broward County). https://www.travelingtutus.org https://www.facebook.com/travelingtutus/posts/10153483196229885 (additional photos) www.morethanjustgreatdancing.com