Melissa Sioux Stark-Stewart grew up in California and began her physical training as a Ballet dancer. In 1993, she began studying Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan with Sifu Clarence Burris at the Chinese Martial Arts Institute in Fairfax, Virginia. She soon became a Black Belt level instructor at the Institute and went on to demonstrate and teach Tai Chi in a number of different facilities across the nation and in Europe. In 1995, she was instrumental in developing a Tai Chi program for seniors and the physically impaired at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. This special program emphasized muscle tone, stress reduction and breathing which are essential for individuals challenged by physical limitations.