Jessica Zeller, Ph.D., M.F.A., is a Professor of Dance in the TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance. She teaches courses in ballet technique and repertoire as well as Dance Studies coursework in Dance histories, theories, pedagogies, and methodologies.
Zeller aims to design and teach courses that center humanity, equity, and vitality in the ballet studio and the classroom. In the tradition of Critical Pedagogy, she seeks to balance a critique of unjust systems and hierarchies with the hopeful view that liberatory education is always possible. In the tradition of Feminist Pedagogy, she seeks to honor and acknowledge each individual student; their histories and ways of knowing and being in the world. And in defiance of ballet’s exclusionary traditions, she seeks to make space for each student to find the form in their individual body to their desired end—to overturn ideals for the sake of healthy artistic development and embodied agency. (See Teaching Philosophy and Writings.)
Much like her teaching, Zeller’s research brings ballet pedagogy into dialogue with Critical and Feminist pedagogies. Her new book, Humanizing Ballet Pedagogies: Philosophies, Perspectives, and Praxis for Teaching Ballet (Routledge 2025) theorizes ballet pedagogy as a critical praxis and considers a range of approaches for humanizing, equitable teaching in ballet. Her 2016 book, Shapes of American Ballet: Teachers and Training before Balanchine (Oxford UP) unearths the work of European and Russian ballet pedagogues during the early twentieth century. Other writings of note are her chapter titled “‘Trust That I Know My Body’: Student Agency and Autonomy in the Ballet Class,” in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Ballet Pedagogy, and her chapter titled “‘Can you feel it?’: Pioneering Pedagogies that Challenge Ballet’s Authoritarian Traditions” in the 2021 anthology (Re:)Claiming Ballet (Intellect). (See Research.)
In addition to presenting research at CORPS de Ballet International conferences and in a 2019 public lecture for the Temple University Dance Studies Colloquium Series, Zeller has facilitated dialogues around Ungrading and progressive pedagogies in Dance programs and faculty development workshops. Recently, she was a panelist for the Royal Academy of Dance’s Guest Lecture Series, served on the faculty of the Digital Pedagogy Lab, and was a guest on several education podcasts. Her teaching has been formally acknowledged with a TCU Deans’ Teaching Award and a feature in TCU Magazine. She is a past President of CORPS de Ballet, International.
Recent Highlights
Feature Article in TCU’s Endeavors Magazine
Humanizing Ballet Pedagogies: Philosophies, Perspectives, and Praxis (Routledge, 2025) is featured in the 2026 issue of TCU’s Endeavors research magazine.
Review of Humanizing Ballet Pedagogies in the Journal of Dance Education
“Mining the concept of humanizing pedagogies for teaching ballet is personal for Zeller. She is committed to the genre as both a practitioner and educator. Her passion for and about ballet underscores the book’s subtitle, Philosophies, Perspectives, and Praxis for Teaching Ballet, and becomes increasingly evident as she invites readers to join her “thinking through—a process” (2) that was so integral to her writing the book. Zeller’s process is a journey of critical reflection, where she recognizes the privileges afforded her as a tenured faculty member teaching in a BFA ballet program at a predominately white private institution of higher education. She also does not shy away from critically examining ballet traditions that have promoted its authoritarian pedagogical practices. The grace and humility Zeller reveals while acknowledging these realities become her call-to-action for teachers of all dance genres and in all contexts to reflect upon the potential of humanizing our pedagogy for dance students of today and in the future.”
- Sherrie Barr, MFA, CMA