Melody Mennite Walsh began her ballet training in Santa Cruz at The Studio School of Classical Ballet and danced with Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. She studied on full scholarship at Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.  In 2001, Melody joined Houston Ballet as an apprentice. She was promoted to Soloist in 2005 and to Principal Dancer in 2008.  

Melody performs as a guest artist nationally and internationally and has danced many featured roles with Houston Ballet. In January of 2007 Melody was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine as one of their annual 25-to-Watch. Her repertoire includes Manon in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, the Sylph in Bournonville's La Sylphide, Tatiana and Olga in John Cranko's Onegin, Odette/Odile in Stanton Welch's Swan Lake, Swanilda and Dawn in Coppelia, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Cio-Cio San and Kate in Madame Butterfly, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, andCinderella in Stanton Welch's Cinderella.  Stanton Welch created his new production of The Nutcracker with Melody starring as Marie. 

Contemporary featured roles include the white pas de deux in Jirí Kylián’s Forgotten Land and Petite Mort; Stanton Welch's Velocity, Indigo, Wildlife, and Brigade; Christopher Bruce's Ghost Dances, Rooster and Hush; Harald Lander's Etudes; Paul Taylor's Company B; William Forsythe's In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated; George Balanchine's The Four Temperaments and Serenade; and Mark Morris's Sandpaper Ballet, Emeralds and Rubies in Balanchine's Jewels. Roles created on Melody include Marie in Stanton Welch's Marie, Spring in Stanton Welch's The Four Seasons, and Rosie in Stanton Welch's The Core.  Melody has begun a choreographic career, staging new works on Houston Ballet and Kansas City Ballet.  Her son, Isaac, is an award-winning break dancer.

Melody with her son Isaac Herrera