Melinda “Mindy” Rawlinson trained pre-professionally at the School of Carolina Ballet Theater in Greenville, SC. During this time, she discovered her passion for dance and has since been pursuing a vast career in the performing arts and dance education. After graduating high school in 2005, Mindy joined Greenville’s professional ballet company Carolina Ballet Theatre where she performed leading roles such as the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, the Lilac fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, and the Bull in Carmen. In 2009 Mindy moved to NYC where she worked with Ballet Tech’s outreach program and spent time taking classes at Steps on Broadway. In 2010, Mindy pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina as a Dance Major and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree while also receiving the University of South Carolina Dance Program Director’s Award for outstanding dedication, talent and passion for the art of dance

Post-graduation, Mindy taught as an Adjunct Instructor of Dance at USC while also serving as the Junior Ballet Company Director and instructor for the USC Dance Conservatory. During her time in South Carolina, she also danced professionally with Wideman-Davis Dance. In 2015, Mindy began the journey of pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree from Hollins University, three summer low residency program where she had the opportunity to study dance in Frankfurt, Germany. During this time, Mindy moved to Delray Beach, FL where she joined the professional company Ballet Florida in West Palm Beach. Mindy traveled back and forth between Florida and Virginia, where she was teaching as a Visiting Assistant Professor and MFA Assistant Director of Dance at Hollins University. In 2022, Mindy moved to Baltimore, MD where she had the great honor of dancing professionally with Full Circle Dance Company and taught ballet for the wonderful dancers of Morton Street Dance Center.  

Currently, Mindy continues to serve as a Thesis Advisory Committee member for the MFA Dance Program at Hollins University, teaches as an adjunct instructor for the Betsy Blackmon Dance Program at USC, and travels as a guest instructor, performer, and choreographer to various schools across the east coast.