Our Mission
Our mission is to provide a nurturing environment which uses the art and discipline of dance to teach the values of respect, commitment, and responsibility.  Emphasis is placed on the development of coordination, creativity, poise, posture, perception, awareness, and physical & mental discipline.  We strive to help students develop a love of the arts and respect for themselves and others.  Our teaching techniques give children the ability to experience both individual and group achievement.  Dance motivates students to be physically and mentally active, committed to their goals, and disciplined to achieve.  Overall, dance will give each student a new level of personal growth. 

Our History...


Victoria’s School of Dance began in Crystal River in 1984 with 30 students.  Miss Vicky truly established her studio as a staple within the Citrus County performing arts community in 1986 with the opening of her studio exclusively for dance education in Beverly Hills.  Remaining there for 10 years, Miss Vicky decided to pursue her lifelong dream of helping people in the profession of nursing.  But since she missed teaching dance so much she had to return!  She opened Victoria’s School of Dance once again in Dunnellon in 2001 and truly enjoys the community that has become a family to her.  In 2004, her daughter Miss Shalyn returned home and the family duo built the studio that you will see today. Over the years, Victoria’s School of Dance has taught over 1,000 students a love for dance, performance, and self-confidence that will carry with them throughout their lives.

Miss Vicky

Founder & Co-Owner

Ballet & Pointe Instructor

Victoria Melfi has lived in this area since 1971.  She has been involved in the art of dance since 1960.  Victoria has over 25 years of dance instruction experience and has owned and operated 3 successful dance studios.  Victoria is certified through Dance Masters of America, Inc. and Florida Dance Masters, Inc. and received her dance teacher training certification from Kent State University.  Victoria's specialty is working with children with special needs.  Ms. Vicky, through the years, has choreographed dance numbers for many events such as pageants, sporting events, and local theaters.  Victoria wants to bring the art of dance to Dunnellon and is excited to have the opportunity to grow with the community.  Victoria is the director of the Christain Dance Program at VSDance, Dance Divinity, where students are invited to particpate free of charge in a Christ-centered performance to celebrate Christmas and use their talents to spread a positive message and help others. She is married to Mike and they have one daughter, Shalyn.

Miss Shalyn

Director & Co-Owner

Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip Hop, & Acrobatics Instructor

Shalyn Barker began taking dance when she began walking.  Miss Vicky would take her to the studio and she would mimic the moves of all the students.  Ms. Shalyn began teaching at the age of fifteen and specializes in tap and jazz technique.  She has studied under numerous dance instructors which gives her very diverse teaching methods, blending the best of her dance education and experiences with a curriculum that is exciting for students.  Miss Shalyn is also known as a mentor by her students and loves to help them face all life’s issues. She’s got a story for everything! Miss Shalyn has a BA in English from Florida Gulf Coast University and her Florida teaching certificate for grades 6th-12th.  She competitively danced for the  University of Central Florida and is the founder of the Cheer, Dance, and Mascot programs for Florida Gulf Coast University.  She was Miss Teen Citrus County 1996, Miss Citrus County 1998, Miss Marion County 2001, and Miss Gulf Coast 2002, as well as Miss Florida's Academic Scholar in 2001 and Miss America's Academic Scholar the same year.  In 2006, she wrote the Storybook Ballet, "The Secret River", based off a children’s book my Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings that students from Victoria’s School of Dance perform every November. In her spare time, she writes a weekly column for the Citrus County Chronicle titled “Full Plate”. She is also the director of the Rainbow Dance Troupe, Victoria's School of Dance's competitive dance team. She is a member of the Professional Dance Teachers Association and completed her First Year of Teachers Training School through Dance Masters of America at the Univeristy of Buffalo and is an Instructor Member and Safety Certified through USA Gymnastcs. She is married to Patrick and they have two children: Emmy and Graham.

Front Desk
Elementary Tap 2 Instructor

Diane Cahal is the front desk attendant at our new studio! Miss Diane, (a.k.a. “Miss Trixie” sometimes in class), is also a Grade 2 Tap teacher at Victoria’s School of Dance.  Her love for dance began at the age of six when she took her first ballet and tap class.  Destined to have a career in the arts, she put her dancing on hold and began expressing herself through visual art.  Miss Diane obtained her BA in photography in 1993 from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.  Her family (Bobby her husband and daughter Zoe) moved from Texas to Florida on New Year’s eve 1997.  She may be best known as the artist that painted “Sunburst” for Marion Cultural Alliance’s Horse Fever in 2001.  Her fine art is displayed in galleries, museums and private collections throughout the United States and as far away as Australia.  For the past five years she’s been an Instructional Paraprofessional at Romeo Elementary and educated children in kindergarten through fifth grade.  Her teaching style is comical and zany, especially when her alter ego “Miss Trixie” shows up to class.  Miss Diane believes that every child can make music with their feet and should have a good time learning the “fun”damentals of tap.