Summer Workshop Guest Teachers

Jiang Qi is an internationally renowned choreographer and master teacher. He received his early ballet training at the Beijing Dance Academy, and he later received his BFA and MFA from the University of Utah Department of Ballet.

• 1978—joined the NDT of China and was invited to visit the U.S. by President Carter to perform in the Chinese ballet Red Detachment of Women at Lincoln Center.
• 1980—won Second Place in the China Dance Competition, and First Place in Beijing Dance Competition.
• 1984—featured in the musical movie The Song of Chinese Revolution; awarded the honor of Premier Artist of China by China’s Ministry of Culture.
• 1985—danced with the Joffrey Concert Group, and with Twyla Tharp Dancers.
• 1986—joined Ballet West as a soloist under the direction of John Hart.
• 1988—promoted to principal dancer of Ballet West, danced lead roles in ballets such as La Bayadere, Coppelia, Romeo and Juliet, The Dream, Nutcracker, Cinderella and Giselle as well as in the works by Balanchine, Ashton, Tudor, Caniparoli and many others.
• 2000—appointed to ballet master of Ballet West by Artistic Director Jonas Kage.
• 2001—joined CCM's Dance Division as assistant professor and served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.
• 2005—promoted to associate professor with tenure; became the artistic director of Dance China NY; received awards for Artistic Excellence in Choreography Project from The National Endowment For The Arts 2006-10.
• 2008—awarded Third Place in Choreography in China’s Lotus Cup Dance Competition.
• 2010—featured on China's National TV's documentary film "Dancing in America".
• 2011—promoted to full professor.
• 2012—appointed to chair of CCM Dance. (to 2019) Received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah.
• Jiang Qi served as ballet master for the competitions such as Beijing IBC, Shanghai IBC, Xiamen IBC, Taipei IBC. Brazil IDF. Published articles in China's Dance Magazine, Journal of Beijing Dance Academy. Ballet Magazine. Contemporary Dance Study.
• 2019—Jiang received the Best Choreography Award at Singapore IDF.
• 2019—Choreographed a world premire Carmina Burana for Guangzhou Ballet, and invited to perform at David Koch Theater Lincoln Center.
• Jiang Qi's choreographing and staging with CCM includes full length productions as well as one act ballets. As a guest choreographer Jiang choreographed for Ballet West, Guangzhou Ballet, Lanzhou Ballet, Utah Reginal Ballet, Toshiko Sato Ballet, Beijing Dance Academy, Shanghai Dance Academy, Joffrey Ballet School, Taipei University of Arts, etc.

Reviews: "Carmina Burana choreographed by Jiang Qi, in three acts that transitioned seasons and mythos...felt like a living fairytale."-Theater Reviews. "The Contemporary choreography of Jiang Qi was primitive and sensual in style for Carmina Burana"-The Medium APP.  "The choreography is dramatic, the production is classically handsome, and the dancers are like finely tuned instruments."-J.B.spins. "Jiang Qi’s new “Reverie of Baoyu,” a clearly told story of love and treachery"-New York Times.  "The Choreography is competent, attractive"-Financial Times. "Springby Jiang Qi filled with inovative lifts and quick, playful steps."-Red Magazi. "the imagery created by Qi, the focus on patterns, depth, female beauty and male strength"-Cretical Dance

Education: BFA and MFA, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT.

Kara Zimmerman was born in Hershey, PA, and started dancing at the age of 8 years old. She received her year round training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, PA, and also spent multiple summers attending the Summer Program at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, WA on full scholarship. After graduating High School, Kara was invited to stay in Seattle and attend the Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division Program year round. She trained in this program for two years, and then was one of the dancers from her class chosen to receive a contract to join the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet. During her 8 seasons with PNB, she had the privilege of traveling to England, Scotland, Hong Kong, and Turkey to perform internationally with the company. She also had the opportunity to dance with PNB in the BBC’s filming of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Sadler’s Wells Theater in London.

In 2008, Kara joined the Cincinnati Ballet as a Senior Soloist for one season, and then went on to join the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, where she danced there in the company for the next 6 seasons. While dancing with the Joffrey Ballet, Kara has had the privilege of performing lead roles in ballets by Choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine, Yuri Possokhov, Fredrick Ashton, Alexander Ekman, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Jerome Robbins, and in Ballets such as

Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Aria II), In the Night (2nd pas), The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, Arabian), In the Middle Somewhat Elevated (Main Pas Couple), Don Quixote (Dryad Queen), Age of Innocence (2nd pas), Tulle (Lead Woman), Lilac Garden (The Other Woman), Prodigal Son (Siren), After the Rain, Continuum, and Infra to name a few.

In August 2015, Kara was invited to join the Victor Ullate Ballet Company in Madrid, Spain. She spent a year performing and touring Victor Ullate’s works throughout Spain and France, as well as traveling to Colombia and Uruguay in South America to perform.

Along with dancing for professional ballet companies over the years, Kara has been invited to perform as a Principal Guest Artist all across the United States and abroad. Kara also guest teaches and coaches ballet students from all over the United States, and is a 200 hr certified yoga instructor teaching yoga to dancers as well as non dancers.

While teaching on the faculty at the Joffrey Ballet Academy, Kara was asked to be the rehearsal director working directly with choreographer Amy Hall Garner for a new ballet she was creating on the Studio Company and Trainee Students. This ballet was a co-production with the Miami City Ballet School, and Kara was later asked to go to Miami to work with the Miami City Ballet School students to help re-stage the ballet. Kara has also helped with re-staging multiple Nutcracker productions, as well as, has been the children’s rehearsal director for the children’s cast of Christopher Wheeldon’s Nutcracker at the Joffrey Ballet. Currently, Kara is also the company ballet teacher for the dancers at Ensemble Español, a Spanish dance company in Chicago.