EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers have hired Melody Davis as the new head coach for the EHS Dance team for the 2025-26 school year. Davis is from Selah and has had an accomplished career both in the WIAA and professionally with the NBA.

“Melody is an outstanding addition to the EHS athletic program,” said Bryan Johnson, EHS athletic director. “She brings not only an elite-level performance experience but also a deep understanding of coaching, choreography and mentorship. We’re incredibly fortunate to have her.”

Davis said she had initially started her athletic career with gymnastics when she was growing up, but as she got older found dance an outlet where she was able to better express herself.

“As a child, I started dancing pretty young at a studio and fell in love with it,” she said.

This love for dance stayed with her as she attended Selah High School and joined their dance team. By the time she was a junior, she was already being recruited by colleges around the state. Davis chose to dance with Washington State University, where she performed in both home and away games for football and basketball.

 After graduating, she still wanted to continue with her dance career and ended up moving to Denver, Colo., where she found a job dancing for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. With the Nuggets, she won rookie of the year as a dancer.

“I had a great experience with that,” said Davis. “Got to meet a lot of cool people through that, make good connections, experience NBA games for the first time since Washington doesn’t have that opportunity.”

Davis said both she and her fiancé began to miss the small-town feel after being in Denver for a year. Her fiancé being an Ephrata native, they decided to make the decision to move back to the area.

“I kind of just let the world take me by its hands,” she said.

Davis and her fiancé moved to Ephrata last July, and by September, she opened her dance studio, Lab Dance Studio. She said that opening her own studio taught her how rewarding it can be to pass on her love and knowledge of dance to the next generation.

“I grew up in a studio, I knew how they were run,” said Davis. “Just kind of took a full leap of faith and it’s been super rewarding so far.”

 She said she was surprised by the turnout for dance classes when Lab Dance opened with over 70 students interested in dancing, consisting of attendees from all around the Basin. The studio just finished its first season with an annual recital.

“It’s been really interesting to meet all those kiddos that are also looking for that outlet that I once was, and watching them make friends and connections that I hope will last a lifetime as well,” said Davis.

When EHS announced they were hiring a new head coach for the dance team, she immediately applied and earned the job for the 2025-26 season.

As the Tigers’ dance team head coach, she said she hopes to give them a fresh start, a new perspective and instill a competitive mindset. She said she wants to show that, through dance, students can find avenues into their futures like she did.

Currently, Davis said she has plans to rebrand the team with new uniforms, create different styles of routines, new music, and create connections with other schools around the state.

“When I moved back here, dance culture wasn’t really a thing and I feel like I want it to be more appreciated in this area because there is so much talent and I’ve gotten to see that firsthand in owning the studio in Ephrata,” said Davis. “I want to open the eyes for students starting in their sophomore, junior, even senior year of high school, that they can accomplish really great things.”

Tryouts for the Tigers’ dance team began yesterday and will continue today at the Beezley Gym from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

“I hope that even if they’re slightly interested in it that they go for it," Davis said. "I know new things can be scary, change can be scary, but I’m trying to open their eyes to new possibilities. There’s nothing stopping you and it’s never too late to learn.”