j.zeller@tcu.edu817-257-7615Erma Lowe Hall 219 (map link)
Ohio State University, Ph.D. in Dance Studies
Ohio State University, MFA in Dance
Butler University, BS in Dance, Arts Administration
Ballet pedagogies, Philosophies of Education, Dance histories, Romantic and Classical Ballet Repertoire
Ballet Technique (all levels)
Pointe
Repertoire
DanceTCU
Teaching Methods: Ballet
Special Topics in Dance Pedagogy
Historical Studies in Dance
Critical Studies in Dance
Junior/Senior Honors Thesis
Jessica Zeller is a Professor of Dance in the TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance, where she teaches courses across the ballet curriculum and in dance histories, theories, and pedagogies. She holds a PhD in Dance Studies and an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University, and she received her BS in Dance/Arts Administration from Butler University. Zeller’s latest book, Humanizing Ballet Pedagogies: Philosophies, Perspectives, and Praxis for Teaching Ballet (Routledge, 2025), theorizes how ballet pedagogies develop and proposes praxis-based approaches for building humanistic, equitable teaching practices. Drawing from dialogues with teachers and students, it offers imperatives for ballet pedagogies in the twenty-first century. Her 2016 book, Shapes of American Ballet: Teachers and Training before Balanchine (Oxford University Press), unearths the teachings of lesser-known European and Russian ballet pedagogues and situates them in the context of early twentieth century American Capitalism. Zeller’s research appears across journals and anthologies, and she has presented at conferences nationally and internationally (see selected publications and selected presentations below). She facilitates pedagogy workshops for faculty, students, and administrators across higher education and the ballet profession. Between 2020 and 2025, she served as President-Elect, President, and Past-President of CORPS de Ballet International.
A New York native and student of Maggie Black, Rochelle Zide-Booth, and Jan Hanniford Goetz, Zeller’s studio teaching makes reference to their work and is complemented by her research on critical and progressive pedagogies. In performance, Zeller has danced several works from the ballet canon—most notably the role of Giselle, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Act I pas de trois and the Act II Cygnets pas de quatre in Swan Lake. She has danced in Bebe Miller’s work, as a guest artist with the Indianapolis Opera, with project-based companies in New York City, and at the American Cabaret Theatre, where she collaborated with singers, actors, dramaturges, and musicians. She was on the ballet faculty of the BalletMet Dance Academy in Columbus, Ohio, before joining the faculty at TCU.
Learn more about Jessica Zeller’s work at www.jessicazeller.net.
Monograph: Zeller, Jessica. Humanizing Ballet Pedagogies: Philosophies, Perspectives, and Praxis for Teaching Ballet. London: Routledge, 2025.
Monograph: Zeller, Jessica. Shapes of American Ballet: Teachers and Training before Balanchine. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Book Chapter. Zeller, Jessica. “‘Trust that I know my body’: Student Agency and Autonomy in the Ballet Class.” In The Oxford Handbook of Ballet Pedagogy. Edited by Adesola Akinleye and Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
Book Chapter. Zeller, Jessica. “‘Can you feel it?’: Pioneering Pedagogies that Challenge Ballet’s Authoritarian Traditions.” In (Re:) Claiming Ballet. Edited by Adesola Akinleye. 172-188. Chicago: Intellect Press, 2021.
Book Chapter. “Pedagogy as Protest: Reimagining the Center.” In Hybrid Teaching: Pedagogy, People, and Politics. Edited by Chris Friend. 117-120. Washington, D.C.: Hybrid Pedagogy, Inc., 2021. Also available as an open access ebook: https://hybridpedagogy.org/hybrid-teaching/.
Journal article: Zeller, Jessica. “Reflective Practice in the Ballet Class: Bringing Progressive Pedagogy to the Classical Tradition.” Journal of Dance Education 17.3 (2017): 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2017.1326052
Journal article: Zeller, Jessica. “On Dance Pedagogy and Embodiment.” Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies 38. Society of Dance History Scholars (2017): 17-20.
Journal article: Zeller, Jessica. “Luigi Albertieri: Bringing Italian Traditions to American Ballet.” Dance Chronicle 38.1 (2015): 55-80.
Book Chapter. “Developing the American Ballet Dancer: The Pedagogical Lineage of Rochelle Zide-Booth.” In Dance on its Own Terms: Histories and Methodologies. Edited by Karen Eliot and Melanie Bales. 283-304. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Journal article: Zeller, Jessica. “Teaching through Time: Tracing Ballet’s Pedagogical Lineage in the Work of Maggie Black.” Dance Chronicle 32.1 (2009): 57-88.
“American Ballet Theatre Raising the Barre Webinar Series 2025: Holistic Teaching Practices.” Panel Discussion with authors Paige Cunningham, Ilana Goldman, and Dr. Jessica Zeller, co-moderated by Dr. Durell Cooper and Monica Stephenson. May 2025.
Zeller, Jessica. “On Ballet Pedagogy in Contemporary Times: In Conversation with Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt, Christina Johnson, and Jessica Zeller. Invited panel participation. Royal Academy of Dance: Guest Lecture Series. September 2022.
Zeller, Jessica. “(Un)Grading Ballet: Rethinking Evaluative Practices.” Refereed presentation at the MOBBallet Symposium/M.I.A. Scholar’s Course. Miami, FL. August 2022.
Zeller, Jessica. “Ungrading/Unmarking: Philosophies and Practices.” Invited presentation/discussion. Rambert School, UK: with MA cohort, March 2022; with Faculty/Staff, September 2022.
Zeller, Jessica. “Facilitating Critical Thinking in Arts Disciplines: Pedagogies and Policy Designs.” Invited presentation/discussion at the University of Mississippi Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. University, MS (virtual). February 2022.
Zeller, Jessica. “Dialogues on Agency in Dance.” Invited presentation/discussion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Dance. Madison, WI (virtual). April 2021.
Zeller, Jessica. “Grading Dancing: Fitting the Square Peg of Ballet into the Round Hole of University Assessment.” Paper presented at the CORPS de Ballet International Annual Conference. Virtual. July 2020.
Zeller, Jessica. “In the Liminal Space: Pedagogy at the Intersection of our Ideals and our Humanity.” Presented in the Colloquium Series in the Center for the Humanities at Temple (CHAT), as part of the Scholar-in-Residence Program in the Department of Dance at Temple University. November 12, 2019. Philadelphia, PA.
Zeller, Jessica. “Fiery Tempers and Pocket Violins: Italian Ballet Pedagogues in Turn-of-the-Century America.” Panel presentation at the CORPS de Ballet, International annual conference. Florence, Italy. July 2018.
Zeller, Jessica. “Tradition and Innovation: Dance Manuals and Ballet Training in Early Twentieth Century America.” CORPS de Ballet, International annual conference, Provo, UT. June 2017.
Zeller, Jessica. Opening remarks at Maggie Black Memorial event (February 2016; New York City Center Studios; Maggie Black Memorial Planning Committee, sponsor).
Zeller, Jessica. “Destabilizing the Dance Studies Classroom with Constructivist Pedagogy OR Starting the Semester Without a Syllabus: My Experience Teaching ‘Dance Theory.’” CORPS de Ballet, International annual conference, Pittsburgh, PA. June 2014.
Last Updated: November 22, 2025