Ballerina in Blue

By Abby Baker

Willow Brightman as “Clara.”

Photos by Abby Baker

At 21, Brianna Melton is directing, choreographing and dancing in the St. Petersburg Ballet Conservatory’s “The Nutcracker.”

A ballerina since she was three years old, Melton aims to dance for a Florida ballet company and eventually teach full time.

Her parents, Brian and Anna Melton, own the Gulfport-based ballet, so it was no surprise when the young ballerina took a break from searching for a company and stepped in the role of artistic director.

For months she’s been training a group of young dancers to take the stage. Melton pins their hair back, makes conversation around the “lipstick mirror”, and works diligently with dancers not much younger then herself.

“The Nutcracker” is the studio’s first show back since the previous artist director was arrested in May.

But it wasn’t necessarily on a happy note.

This past May, Servy Gallardo, previous artistic director and co-founder with the Meltons, was accused and arrested on four counts of lewd and lascivious battery and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation.

The victim was a 15-year-old ballet student who was living in Gallardo’s home.

Police took Gallardo away in handcuffs during a practice, in front of many of the young students. According to the Meltons, he attempted to walk out as soon as he saw the officers.

Now back with the first live show since the incident, the students, parents and owners of the St. Petersburg Ballet Conservatory remain hopeful that the art of ballet will live on in Gulfport.

“It was very triggering for our students,” Anna said. “We changed the music, the way things are set up, to try to move away from those triggers.”

“The Nutcracker” is really the number one moneymaker for ballet studios,” said owner Anna Melton.

The Gulfport-based conservatory made it through with online shows and Zoom classes, but was left director-less during Nutcracker season.

“For many studios, “The Nutcracker” is the biggest show of the year,” Anna said. “We can’t hire during that season, and we wouldn’t, because that would be devastating for any studio to lose a director … the dancers train so hard.”

That’s where Melton stepped her slipper in.

A Star is Born

Tall and constantly rocking a slicked-back bun, Melton says she took to ballet almost immediately after a few early classes. Anna and Brian had no previous experience in the world of dance, but they made it work.

“I think I was born a dancer and I was made to teach,” Melton told The Gabber, mid-practice.

Nearly 20 years later, her parents are the owners of Gulfport’s sole ballet studio.

“She was the inspiration behind all of this,” Brian said.

For months leading up to the Nutcracker performance, the recent University of South Florida graduate took the reins and began teaching both the younger and older age group her version of a winter classic.

Alongside her students, Melton herself learned her own routine.

The unconventional dynamic clicked.

“I was definitely thrown in the fire. I knew I wanted to teach but I didn’t expect it to be so soon, like this,” Melton said. “It was kind of a necessity; these kids were looking at me for when to go next.”

She may eventually leave the studio where she got her start teaching, but Melton plans to return to her roots someday.

See more from Gulfport’s home for ballet at stpeteballetconservatory.com.