Christie Zimmerman
Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Associate Professor of Dance
Additional Information
Musical Theatre, Ballet, Jazz, Tap
Tenure Track faculty
Date of Hire: August 2008
Biography
Christie Zimmerman is a contemporary choreographer, artistic director, and educator. Her dance theatre works have been performed in cities around the country on both theatrical and concert stages, and have been heralded as “relentlessly inventive” (the OC Weekly) and an “unadulterated delight” (Ambush Magazine, New Orleans).
Christie is currently an Associate Professor of Dance at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where she teaches technique and serves as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts. She received her early dance training in New Orleans under the tutelage of Rhonda Edmundson, Gayle Tabary, Charleen Locascio and Joseph Giacobbe before relocating to the west coast, where she completed her Master of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography from the University of California, Irvine. While there, Christie had the privilege of assisting and working under the guidance of Tony Award nominee and modern dance extraordinaire Donald McKayle - performing, teaching, and choreographing for both the drama and dance departments and was one of three students in the School of the Arts to receive the Chancellor’s Fellowship.
In 2010, she established z3movement project, a Mid-west/Indiana based dance theatre collaborative, where she serves as Artistic Director and Choreographer. Since its inception, the company has been busy presenting works at DUMBO Dance Festival (NYC), Cool NY Dance Festival (NYC), Green Space Blooms (NYC), Take Root (NYC), Core Project Chicago (Chicago), Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival (Chicago), the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival (Kalamazoo, MI), Rebound Dance Festival (Chicago, IL), and the 80th Anniversary of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival as part of the Inside/Out Series (Becket, MA).
Christie has worked extensively with both developing and professional dancers, teaching master classes nationally, and serving on the faculties of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre. She has been the recipient of several grants and awards in recognition of her work, including Ball State University's ASPiRE Junior Faculty Creative Arts Grant, the 2012 Department of Theatre and Dance Outstanding Creative Endeavor Award, the 2013-2014 Ball State University Outstanding Creative Endeavor Award, and the 2019.2020 College of Fine Arts Dean's Teaching Award. Christie is a proud member of Dance Masters of America, the Dance Films Association, and an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.