Melissa Barak (born August 9, 1979, in Los Angeles[1]) is a choreographer and ballerina.

Barak began her studies in Santa Monica at Westside School of Ballet with Yvonne Mounsey, Rosemary Valaire, and Nader Hamed.

She then moved to New York City in 1996 to attend City Ballet's affiliate, the School of American Ballet, where she originated a role in Christopher Wheeldon's Soiree Musicale in the 1998 Annual Workshop.

Having danced with the New York City Ballet, Barak's work shows influence from George Balanchine.

[2][4] It was at the City Ballet that Barak's work was first noticed by Peter Martins when she was eighteen years old.